Diet sodas are sugar-free, artificially sweetened, carbonate drinks marketed towards people who need to reduce sugar use, want to lose weight to stay fit.
Various artificial sweeteners are used to give diet soda the sweet taste and some even use sugar with other artificial sweeteners. Different opinions are there with respect to these drinks. The Genral Opinion is that Sugar drink is the best in terms of taste. Many people say that diet drinks leaves a bad taste in mouth after use. Others feel that diet soda has no unpleasant aftertaste and that drinks sweetened by high fructose corn syrup an over-sweet aftertaste.
Cyclamates were first among all the artificial sweeteners. Many had the opinion that these sodas had a better taste than diet sodasthat followed. In 1970 the FDA banned the use of cyclamates in the US. Lab animals suffered from cancer due to them. Even with that information cyclamates especially in diet soda are still used in some countries around the world.
Then producers of America began using saccharin. But saccharin was believed by consumers to have a chemical aftertaste. Coca-Cola produced Tab by suppling a little amount of sugar. During 1977, the FDA was said to put a restriction on saccharin as a carcinogen but a suspension was put on the restriction while studies were finished. This was lifted in 1991, but nearly every diet soda had shifted to using aspartame which is now the most common sweetener.
Two new sweeteners are available in the market, sucralose called Splenda and Sunett or Ace K used with small amounts of aspartame or artificial sweeteners. These have come into use by some smaller beverage producers.Recently consumers have started believing that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome type illnesses is caused due to aspartame.
Most of the users say that taste of the drinks with these sweeteners are alike natural sugar.Critics are not satisfied with the taste of artificial sweeteners and also not familiar with the drawbacks of using it for a long term.
The effects of diet sodas in weight loss is neglected with the health concerns of sugar substitutes and overuse of caffeine.
Diet soda may result into weight loss for the consumers who drink large amounts of regular soda.But animal studies disclosed that artificial sweeteners cause weight gain. The sweetness of the flavour induces an insulin response, causing blood sugar to stay in tissues but because blood sugar does not increase with artificial sugars hypoglycemia can result and people eat more at the next meal. Caloric intake increased causing increment in fat and body weight when sweeteners were given to rats.
So, the jury on how helpful diet soda is to losing weight is still out.
