Very often you have asked us what we think about sugar-free sodas, whether it is Coca Cola Zero & Light, Kofola sugar-free or any other beverage.
Are they really sugar-free? Can't they make me gain weight? Are artificial sweeteners harmful? Do they interfere with weight loss and dieting? What is their composition and what does it mean for us?
Find out the answers to these and many other questions in the following article.
What are artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are synthetically created substances used as a substitute for harmful sugar. Due to their low or zero energy value, sweeteners are most commonly used by people trying to lose weight.
The most well-known synthetic sweeteners include aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sodium cyclamate and saccharin.
Do these drinks really make me fat?
I realize that after reading the following paragraph, quite a few bodybuilding competitors will disagree with me, but even so, there are professional publications and scientific studies that agree that artificial sweeteners can cause obesity and, in extreme cases, may be behind the development of prediabetes, or glucose intolerance.
On the other hand, we are also inclined to believe that many other 'facts' on the internet are just alarmist reports organising a hunt for harmful sweeteners. No, occasional consumption of artificial sweeteners won't really harm your health, but it's definitely not a good idea to overdo it. But that's true of any food.
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What about the harmfulness of artificial sweeteners in diet drinks?
Synthetic sweeteners divide health food advocates into two camps, making it very difficult to find any information written by an unbiased person. So let's take a look at the three most common sweeteners and mention the various facts or myths associated with them.
Aspartame
Let's start right away with the biggest bogeyman. Aspartame is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar. Some sources report that aspartame is present in more than 6,000 foods and is labeled dangerous because it releases harmful methanol when metabolized. However, the truth is that the amount of methanol released is so small that it has no negative properties.
Chemically, aspartame is made up of two amino acid molecules - phenylalanine and aspartic acid - and is therefore as natural to the body as sugar. It has been the subject of much speculation in the past, but more recent scientific findings agree that it is completely harmless to health in small amounts.
Acesulfame potassium
Acesulfame potassium, sometimes abbreviated as acesulfame K, is another synthetic sweetener for which there is much less controversy about its harmfulness.
Like aspartame, it is about 200 times sweeter than sugar and is very often combined with the aforementioned aspartame. This is due to the thermal instability of aspartame, which decomposes at 30°C. Acesulfame K has a slightly bitter aftertaste and is not absorbed by the body at all, but is nevertheless excreted in the urine. So far, no harmful effects of acesulfame on health have been demonstrated.
Sodium cyclamate
The last sweetener to be mentioned here is cyclamate. This synthetic sweetener is 30-50 times sweeter than sugar and, as usual, its health safety is a matter of constant speculation.
It is cheaper than most sweeteners, but has a fairly significant taste range. For this reason it is mixed in a 10:1 ratio with other sweeteners. Because of cyclamate, in Venezuela is banned from sale in Venezuela. Coca Cola Zero, which contains this sweetener, and official reports also add that it "causes cancerous tumours and birth defects".
Other studies carried out however, have shown that it is not harmful, so we will have to wait some time for a definitive answer.
How much diet soda can I drink?
Determining the optimal amount of diet soda is not easy and is to some extent an individual matter. Let's look at the different calorie-free drinks in more detail.
Cola Light and Cola Zero
As we mentioned above, these two drinks contain aspartame as well as acesulfame potassium and cyclamates. But unfortunately, you'll also find substances that you should be much more worried about.
One of these substances is phosphoric acid, which has been shown by many scientific studies have shownmay be involved in bone thinning - it is the source of phosphorus that causes bone thinning when calcium supplementation is inadequate.
Pepsi without sugar
Pepsi Cola isn't much better off in terms of sweeteners and other harmful substances, as you'll also find phosphoric acid, acesulfame and aspartame.
Sugar-free Coca-Cola
Sugar-free Coke is the most acceptable choice in our opinion because you won't find any aspartame or cyclamates in it.
Of the "worse" sweeteners, it only contains acesulfame, which, as we explained above, is indigestible and therefore not harmful to the body.
However, even a better composition does not mean that it is a good idea to overdo it.
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What do we think of them?
In the end, we add our subjective opinion, because we also indulge in sugar-free lemonades from time to time.
Even though we know that the best choice is to use natural sugar alternatives we understand that sometimes it's just not possible. So as long as you drink these sodas in moderation and have one or two glasses a week, you're not at risk of any problems and can rest easy. But nothing should be overdone.
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That's all from us then, and if you have any questions about artificial sweeteners or sugar and calorie free sodas, feel free to ask in the comments.
Why can you trust us?
Hey! Hey! I'm Mirek and I've been working at World Fitness almost since the beginning, except for a small break. But before that I lived only in the gym for a few years, doing deadlifts and power triathlon, going to competitions and winning a few medals.
Probably the one I value the most is the national record in the WUAP federation. But besides working out, I was also interested in food and supplements, I liked to enjoy my free timeI used to read different researches and professional books in my free time to know as much as possible.