Diet Coke Exposed: What Happens 1 Hour After Drinking A Can Of Diet Coke

Posted on 2015/08/3
Tags: opinion

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It’s been a mad few days over at Truth Theory, we published an article by Niraj Naik called What Happens One Hour After Drinking A Can Of Coke and it went viral, but it didn’t stop there with the article getting picked up by a lot of mainstream media.

The article has been trending on Facebook in the UK, USA and India for the last 3 days, and was featured in print, on television, the radio and just about everywhere else.

This is great news as we are getting a message out about something which is very important, but we didn’t want this to lead to people thinking that sugar is necessarily the worse option available.

Ribena has hit the headlines recently with them removing sugary products from the shelves in the UK and Pepsi has also been in the news recently for removing aspartame from its products.

Which asks the question are diet cokes any better than the regular stuff?

There is a good chance you have heard of Aspartame as it seems to get all the press, but it is not the only worrying substance that is in diet coke.

We have done a little research and spoken to Niraj the author of “What Happens One Hour After Drinking A Can Of Coke” and we have come up with “Diet Coke Exposed: What Happens 1 Hour After Drinking A Can Of Diet Coke”

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And Attacks Your Teeth

The phosphoric acid attacks the enamel in your teeth, while the artificial sweeteners like aspartame hit your system. Studies have proven aspartame triggers the taste receptors and tricks your body into thinking it has just processed sugar.

20 Minutes – May Switch On Fat Storage Mode

Like regular Coke this can trigger insulin, which sends your body into fat storage mode.

Data from a number of studies, including the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study also reported greater risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Also some data indicates those who consume artificially sweetened beverages double the risk of metabolic syndrome which is related to diabetes and cardiovascular problems

40 Minutes – Can Cause Addiction

The potentially deadly combination of caffeine and aspartame creates a short addictive high similar in the way cocaine works. Excitotoxins are released which may exhaust your brain by overstimulating it’s neuroreceptors, especially if consumed on a regular basis.

60 Minutes –

May Deplete Nutrients, Make You Hungry & Thirsty For More

Unlike the small amount of satisfaction you get from regular coke your body may still crave sweets. This makes you likely to reach for another soda, or worse, some other junk food you consider to be safe and the cycle continues.

A can of diet coke provides no nourishment and would replace a more nutritious drink you could have drunk while potentially depleting your body of essential minerals

It will never quench your thirst as it dehydrates rather than hydrates your body. A lack of vital water can lead to brain fog, poor concentration, fatigue and feeling irritable.

Some of the effects of drinking diet coke everyday are-

Weight Gain

Diet coke is very low in calories and some of their range is calorie free, but this does not always equal weight loss.

Artificial sweeteners like aspartame actually trigger taste receptors tricking your body into thinking it has just processed sugar. This triggers insulin, which sends your body into fat storage mode, which leads to weight gain.

Researchers from the University Of Texas found in a prolonged study that lasted around a decade, that diet soda drinkers had a 70% greater waist circumference in comparison to those who did not drink it. And those who drink multiple cans a day had a 500% greater circumference!(1)

Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome
If you drink just one diet coke a day, you will have a 36% increased risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome according to a study from the University Of Minnesota.

Metabolic syndrome is a wide range of conditions which include- high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, and elevated glucose levels which raise the likelihood of heart disease, strokes and diabetes.(2)

Headaches
According to a study of nearly 1500 people published in the New York Times 73% of them suffer with headaches, and you guessed it one of diet cokes ingredients have been known to cause headaches too.

A 1989 study from the Montefiore Medical Center Headache Unit on the effects of aspartame concluded that it does indeed trigger headaches in some people.(3)(4)

Depression
A 10 year study from the American Academy of Neurology involving 263,925 people found that heavy drinkers of soda were 30% more likely to suffer from depression than those who do not drink fizzy drinks.

It is important to note that in this study researchers noticed a greater risk in those who drank diet drinks, not the full sugar stuff. Showing that regular coke doesn’t quite affect your brain in the same way.(5)

Cardio Vascular Problems
According to the research from Columbia University and the University of Miami, having just one can of Coke a day boosts your risk of a heart attack and stroke.

The study found that consumers of diet soda had a 43% higher chance that they would experience a vascular event than those who drank none. Those who drank regular soda did not have the same increased risks.(6)(7)

What’s In Your Diet Coke
The current ingredients straight off of a can of diet coke are- carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium citrate, natural flavors, citric acid, and caffeine.

Here is a break down of these substances and some of the controversy which surrounds them.

Aspartame-
Aspartame is a non caloric sweetener that is used in diet coke and most sweetened low calorie products (including vitamins and medicine). There are a lot of studies saying that aspartame is safe, but there are an equal number of articles that contradict this information and here are some of our findings.

Aspartame has been linked to brain damage, cognitive skills disruption, neurochemical changes in the brain and problems with behaviour and mood and in the most extreme case seizures. Although I must mention this was someone who drank a gallon of sweetened iced tea. Quite excessive!(8)

Caramel Color-
Caramel color or caramel coloring is a water-soluble food coloring. It is made by heat treatment of carbohydrates, in general in the presence of acids, alkalis or salts in a process called caramelization.

Caramel color is generally accepted as a safe although in a study from John Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health it has been linked to increased likelihood of developing cancer, from just one can a day.(9)

Phosphoric Acid-
Phosphoric acid is a synthetic mineral acid and is in all coke products and most soda’s. This is up there with aspartame in the effects it can have on you with some of the reported side effects being- dermatitis, blurred vision, difficulty swallowing or breathing and digestive problems.

A study published in the “Archives of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine” found that phosphoric acid was linked to low bone density.

Also a group of researchers from the National Institutes of Health studied the dietary habits of those with chronic kidney disease in comparison to healthy volunteers. The results concluded that drinking two or more colas a day (diet or regular) was linked with a twofold risk of developing kidney disease.

Non-cola sodas which contained citric acid did not have the same risk. There was no definitive cause for the results, but it was noted that phosphoric acid has been associated with urinary problems that cause kidney stones.(10)

Potassium Citrate
Potassium citrate is a food additive, used to regulate acidity and is used medicinally to control kidney stones and gout.

If you are prescribed potassium citrate all you have to do is read the label to realise that it is known to cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach pain.(11)

Natural flavours
Natural flavours may seem pretty straight forward, but actually they are not! The definition of natural flavouring under the Code of Federal Regulations is-

“the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional”

I would just like to share one of these natural flavours with you- there is something called castoreum and while I don’t know if this is in diet coke specifically it is under the label of “Natural Flavours”

It is a slimy yellowish substance which is derived from the anus of a beaver, I don’t know if that is healthy or not, but I know I don’t fancy drinking it. (12)

Citric acid
Citric acid is a commonly occurring food that appears both naturally and synthetically (like in the case of diet coke)

While citric acid isn’t actually known to be bad for your health, it is also not good. A nothing type of food with no nutritional benefit at all.

Caffeine
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant and classed as a psychoactive drugs. It is actually the world’s most consumed psychoactive drug, but unlike many drugs which fit into this category it is fully legal and unregulated.

Caffeine in it’s best form actually has some great health benefits, but in diet coke, not so good. Caffeine effects different people in different ways but can cause insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, an upset stomach, heart palpitations and muscle spasms.

Conclusion
There is a lot of conflicting information out there about these ingredients, but one of the things that seems to run true is that long term consumption of diet coke is indeed a bad thing.

Like most things if consumed in moderation it will not do you much harm, but due to its addictive nature this is easier said than done.

There are a lot of studies saying that these substances are safe, but there are an equal number of articles that contradict this information. The body is a complex machine and even if these substances are safe on their own that’s not to say that they are safe when consumed in combination with other substances.

For us truly to understand we need an independently verified study done on the effects of diet coke and all other sodas.

We are attempting to start a movement here and would love your support, so if you share please add the hashtag #CokeOpenFattiness

Niraj, The Renegade Pharmacist’s article is filled with research and citations that back up the claims in the infographic. You can read that HERE

About The Author

My name is Luke Miller and I’m a writer here at Truththeory.com. I am also the owner & creator of Potential For Change I believe that spirituality is the foundations for good health & I like to blend psychology & spirituality to help you find more purpose & happiness in your life. My other interests include health, not just on a physical level but also on a collective level & have a keen interest in education & truth seeking. You can find my Facebook page HERE , YouTube HERE & Twitter HERE . Click here to read more articles by Luke Miler

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