Patriot Health Digest
Free from calories, sugar and carbs, diet soda might seem like a good and healthy alternative to soda filled with sugar.
However, this beverage might not be the harmless thing you believe it is, especially if you are drinking several servings a day.
In fact, consuming too much diet soda might be linked to side effects and can lead to long-term health problems.
Here are some possible side effects of drinking diet soda everyday:
1 — Disrupts your gut health
Some research seems to point to the artificial sweeteners inside diet soda negatively affecting your gut microbiome, which is the group of bacteria inside your digestive tract.
The gut microbiome has an important role in many parts of health, including in nutrient absorption, immune function, heart health, and more.
One study found that the artificial sweetener saccharin harmed blood sugar management and led to imbalances in gut bacteria with 57% of the participants.
Another study revealed that acesulfame K (Ace-K), another form of artificial sweetener in some brands of diet soda, negatively changed the makeup of a human’s gut microbiome.
2 — Erodes your teeth
Although diet soda does not have sugar like regular soda does, it does have highly acidic substances and can do serious harm on your smile if you consume a lot of it daily.
One study found that routine diet soda greatly affected the surface of tooth enamel, indicating that both can lead to tooth erosion.
Another study revealed that, because of their acidity, both diet and regular soft drinks can damage the surface of your enamel, leading to erosion.
3 — Heart health
Several observational studies have discovered that people who consume diet soda routinely have a greater risk of having heart problems long term.
One study of 59,614 people revealed that drinking around 2 diet drinks each day was linked with a greater risk of heart issues and dying from heart disease over a 9-year time frame.
Other studies found that both regular and diet soda consumptions could be connected to an increased risk of deadly stroke.
Plus, diet soda has been linked to a greater risk of metabolic syndrome, which is a selection of conditions that can expand your risk of getting heart disease, having a stroke, and getting type 2 diabetes.
Author: Scott Dowdy
