Diet soda drinkers consume more calories than others

Diet sodas are not good for you. A recently published study has confirmed what I have long been fairly certain of, many diet soda drinkers consume more calories than others:

A new study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that overweight and obese adults who drank diet beverages took in more food calories on average than their counterparts who drank the sugary stuff.

“Although overweight and obese adults who drink diet soda eat a comparable amount of total calories as heavier adults who drink sugary beverages, they consume significantly more calories from solid food at both meals and snacks,” lead study author Sara Bleich, associate professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Health Policy and Management, said in a press release.

Researchers looked at information from the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is a population-based survey that looks at the health and nutrition of U.S. adults. They looked particularly at diet beverage consumption, caloric intake and body weight.

Overall, diet soda consumption rates increased 17 percent from 1965 to today. Currently, about 20 percent of U.S. adults drink diet beverages.

Despite the calories they cut by sipping on diet drinks, researchers found adults who drank diet beverages ate more calories from solid food.

“The results of our study suggest that overweight and obese adults looking to lose or maintain their weight — who have already made the switch from sugary to diet beverages — may need to look carefully at other components of their solid-food diet, particularly sweet snacks, to potentially identify areas for modification,” Bleich said.

The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health on Jan. 16.

The researchers believe that the artificial sweeteners may activate more reward centers in the brain. This in turn affects a person’s appetite, making the diet drinkers eat more food because they don’t think they are getting enough sugar in their bloodstreams. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/diet-soda-drinkers-consume-more-calories-study/

Artificial sweeteners have long been a problem.

Artificial sweeteners sweeteners should be avoided.

While various mainstream corporate-influenced groups support them, others have found in the past that they are not even helpful in reducing the risks of diabetes:

The AHA and American Diabetes Association said in July 2012 that artificial or non-nutritive sweeteners could be a good option to help people reduce calories and added sugars from their diets. In turn, you may even lose some pounds with these kinds of sweeteners — as long as you weren’t making up for it later in the day by eating more sweets, which some studies have showed.

However, an opinion article published on July 10 in Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism reveals that artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and saccharin may not be as good for you as you might have thought.

“It is not uncommon for people to be given messages that artificially-sweetened products are healthy, will help them lose weight or will help prevent weight gain,” author Susan E. Swithers, a professor of behavioral neuroscience at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., said in a press release. “The data to support those claims are not very strong, and although it seems like common sense that diet sodas would not be as problematic as regular sodas, common sense is not always right.”…

The study, which reviewed recent research papers, revealed that artificial sweeteners were linked to an increased risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Just drinking one diet a drink a day was enough to create a significantly heightened chance of developing one of these disorders, the researchers found.

Artificial sweeteners were also shown to activate different patterns in the brain’s pleasure centers that normally correspond to sweet tastes. This may mean that these products do not satisfy our sweet tooth as much as natural sugar. One study found non-caloric sweeteners made animals eat increased amounts of calorie-rich sweet tasting food. In the end, the animals exposed to artificial sweeteners gained more weight.

Other evidence showed that consuming artificial sweeteners often leads to weight gain. The authors believed the artificial products confused the body’s ability to regulate calories based on tasting something sweet.

Another study revealed a link between diet soda drinking and weight gain over time. For each diet drink the subjects consumed per day, they were 65 percent more likely to become overweight during the next seven to eight years. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57593133/artificial-sweeteners-could-lead-to-obesity-diabetes/

It may be of interest to note that the amount of people with diabetes has increased right along with the increased consumption of artificial sweeteners.

The Bible itself warns about eating things that are not really food:

2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

Refined processed “breads,” artificial sweeteners, chemical additives, and some other items commonly associated with junk foods and hydrogenated fats would seem to be consistent with that warning. The report that someone dies every 6 seconds from diabetes hopefully will give people pause from eating so much that they should not. Many are struggling with obesity and artificial sweeteners are not the answer.

What should you eat? You should eat real food and be careful about your quantities.

2…Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

People should try to eat real, not artificial, foods. And I will also add that even non-diet sodas are highly refined and also should not be consumed in large quantities.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Obesity, processed foods, and the Bible Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? Is gluttony condemned?
Eating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy Are there disadvantages to being overweight? Is junk food really bad for you? Does the Bible discuss overeating and/or obesity? Is overeating having an effect on the US military? What are the ramifications of personal and national health for overeating? What should you eat? This is a sermonette-length YouTubevideo.
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here is a related YouTube video GMO Risks and the Bible.
Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
Does God Heal Today? What does the Bible teach? Herbert Armstrong tries to explain this.
UK Study Supports Daniel Diet Daniel and his companions looked better eating more vegetables and avoiding strange meats. Has modern science confirmed this?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?