Don't let the 'diet' fool you

In a previous blog I talked about how I cut out diet soda as part of my effort to be more healthy and hopefully lose some weight. One of our loyal readers (thank you very much) has asked about this, so let’s go into it a little more.

Bringin’ Sexy Back wrote in his/her comment: “in earlier blogs I have read that one of your big ways to lose weight is to stop drinking diet soda. I don't understand why that is such a big deal. Yes, you don't need 10 per day, but a variety of diet soft drinks now have 0 calories, 0 fat and very low sodium. My doctor told me drinking diet soda will not prevent a person from losing weight. Just curious.”

I thought that for a long time as well, but about 10 years ago I was also trying to lose weight (yes, I’ve obviously not been successful at this for quite some time). Nothing was working, but I was drinking diet soda like a fish. I decided to cut it out completely and before long, making only that one change, the weight started coming off. I know, hardly scientific or worthy of proof by most standards, but it convinced me.

But I also recently learned before Trim to Win that there’s actually been a study done that shows the risk of being overweight increases if you drink diet soda regularly. The study, which included eight years of data, made its conclusions based on findings reached by a team from the University of Texas Health Science Center.

According to WebMD, researchers discovered that not only is there a greater risk for obesity for those drinking diet sodas, “nearly all the obesity risk from [all] soft drinks came from diet sodas,” the medical site reports.

Here are some numbers from the study.

Those who drink regular sodas the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:

• 26 percent for consuming up to a half can a day.

• 30.4 percent for a half to one can a day.

• 32.8 percent for one to two cans a day.

• 47.2 percent for more than two cans a day.

Compare those shocking numbers to these for those who drink diet sodas:

• 36.5 percent for up to a half can a day.

• 37.5 percent for a half to one can a day.

• 54.5 percent for one to two cans a day.

• 57.1 percent for more than two cans a day.

WebMD reports the study also says these numbers aren’t a “smoking gun” and do not prove drinking diet soda actually causes obesity; rather, “it shows that something linked to diet soda drinking is also linked to obesity.”

Perhaps it’s all mental, that most of us have that kernel of insanity that tells us “well, it’s OK to have that big order of fries because I’m drinking a diet soda.” Perhaps there’s something about the modern artificial sweeteners and other additives that go into those zero-calorie, zero-fat concoctions that make then not the magic elixir many believe diet soda to be.

Or, perhaps it’s all in my head that if I think it makes a difference, then it will.