That's the conclusion reached by a series of studies discussed in this article by David Mendoza at HealthCentral. Examples:
Dieters who drank several non-sugar soft drinks a day, in a study at the University of Texas, were actually more likely to become overweight than those who drank the same number of sugared sodas.
Another study of diabetics found that those who drank diet sodas had substantially higher glucose levels (.7 HaIC) than those who did not.
And most damning of all, a researcher at Harvard Med School published a study linking diet sodas to an increased risk for contracting metabolic syndrome -- a precursor of diabetes in many cases (such as mine).
How could these non-nutritive sweeteners possibly be associated with weight gain and the metabolic syndrome? [writes Mendoza] The authors of the Circulation study led by Ravi Dhingra, MD, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, think that the high level of sweetness “may lead to conditioning for a greater preference for intake of sweetened items.”
In other words, diet soda helps maintain a sugar addiction.
Worse yet, diet sodas may promote formation of "advanced glycation end products," or AGEs, also known as glycotoxins. These are believed to promote internal inflammation and oxidative stress, which may well be linked to diabetic heart and circulation problems.
Wow. Diet Soda means inflammation, stress, and possible weight gain. Why wasn't I told?
