Summer often brings back the cravings for cold, tangy sodas. The fizz may satiate the taste buds, offering immediate relief, but the ill-effects of the high-sugar drinks cannot be ignored. This debate has been raging over for decades. The discussion culminated into an innovation that has become a fad: diet or zero-sugar sodas.
There’s no dearth of diet sodas or sparkling water in the market. The plethora of flavours and eye-catching packaging have built a massive fan base for the fizzy drinks that are perceived harmless even if they don’t offer any health value. But are they? Most zero-sugar drinks serve a common goal: Cutting down all the calories that come with your regular cola. Almost all the drinks on offer do achieve the goal, but at what cost?
Diet sodas often use alternative sweeteners, usually the synthetic aspartame and sucralose and at times the naturally occurring stevia. Yet, cutting down on all sugar hardly makes them ‘healthy’ or even a healthier choice.
Aspartame vs Sucralose vs Stevia
Aspartame and sucralose are the common artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas. The former is created by combining two natural amino acids — L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine — along with a small amount of methanol, while sucralose is created by structurally altering a sugar molecule in a way that it passes straight through the body without being absorbed. Stevia is extracted directly from Stevia rebaudiana leaves and isolates its sweet chemical compounds.
With their zero glycemic index, none of the three add any calories to drinks but can alter gut health and normal eating patterns.
Aspartame, for one, is fully digested in the upper gastrointestinal tract and thus does not alter gut bacteria. It, however, must be strictly avoided with those born with Phenylketonuria (PKU) — a rare genetic condition that takes away the body’s ability to metabolise phenylalanine.
Impacting eating patterns
Given the natural conditioning of the brain, when the body consumes something sweet, it prepares for a calorie intake. But with zero-sugar drinks, the latter exercise never materialises, leaving the brain confused.
When the tongue tastes something sweet, it signals the brain, which in turn prompts the pancreas to secrete pre-emptive insulin. The body is ready to break down the sugar and convert it into energy. With no sugar actually reaching the body, the process is left incomplete leading to instant cravings and hunger sensations. A study by Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, monitored 75 participants as they consumed water, real sugar water, or sucralose-sweetened water. A brain scan showed that the third group had the most hunger activity.
So, in simple words, the sugar alternatives, while not adding sugar calories directly, can prompt a hunger response that can alter eating patterns and add calories indirectly.
High acidic content affects tooth health
Zero-sugar drinks are still high on phosphoric acid, citric acid and malic acid which has a negative impact on both bone and tooth health. A study, “Artificially Sweetened Beverages Beyond the Metabolic Risks…” published in Cureus took note of the enamel erosion and interference with calcium absorption that comes with the consumption of diet soft drinks.
Impact on liver health
Another clinical study published by ScienceDaily tracked over 120,000 participants and flagged a heightened risk of developing Metabolic-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) in those consuming more than one can of diet sodas per day. The study found that artificial ingredients and altered appetite regulation strained liver health in a way akin to sugar-filled drinks.
While the more publicised, “cancer-inducing” risks of ingredients like aspartame have been discussed in depth (the ingredient remains safe within usage deemed permissible under FDA regulations: it takes approximately 21 cans of diet soda daily to consume the 3.7 gm that would go beyond the permissible limit), there are other slow burns that are dangerous. (Long sentence, break into two)
Diet and zero-sugar colas may allay the concerns over immediate sugar spikes and offer an alternative to those looking to cut down on calories, they are by no means a “healthy” drink. A glass of cold water, then, should be the go-to choice to quench the summer thirst.
