The question of whether to choose diet or regular pop can be a surprisingly controversial one. As the public becomes increasingly sugar savvy, the demand for low- and no-sugar alternatives is increasing, but questions about their safety linger. Few people regard soda pop as a healthy choice, but if you’re already a regular pop drinker, is making the switch to a ‘diet’ or ‘zero’ option worth it?
In a word: Yes. But it’s helpful to understand why. First, the research on sugar is clear. Regular, excessive sugar consumption is linked to weight gain and chronic disease. The likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, and heart disease goes up in lockstep with sugar intake. To put pop drinking in perspective, experts agree that it’s best to keep added sugar intake to 25 grams daily (women) or 36 grams daily (men) or less - about 6-9 teaspoons. A single can of pop delivers anywhere from 10-12 teaspoons of sugar in one fell swoop.
In diet drinks, sugar is usually swapped out for an alternative like aspartame, sucralose or stevia. Although some concern has been raised over cancer risk, rest assured that these calorie-free sweeteners have been studied extensively in recent years and a safe upper limit has been established for each. That limit is intended to be roughly 100 times less than the smallest amount that might cause harm. Some very preliminary research suggests that artificial sweeteners may alter gut health, raise insulin levels, and increase cravings for sugar. While that may be true, it’s worth noting that sugar does all of those things as well, and at a much higher caloric cost.
Our recommendation: If you drink regular pop, the benefits of switching to a diet version outweigh the risks.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐩?
