Diet Soda Linked to Obesity

In the years I've been advocating healthy eating habits, one thing I've repeatedly recommended was to avoid replacing regular soda with diet soda - and even if you already drink only diet soda, just break the soda habit - regular or diet - and don't look back!

Well, now it seems that the research is showing that diet soda consumption is linked to obesity. The findings come from the San Antinio Heart Study and were reported in AZCentral.com earlier today.

A review of 26 years of patient data found that people who drink diet soft drinks were more likely to become overweight. Not only that, but the more diet sodas they drank, the higher their risk of later becoming overweight or obese - 65 percent more likely for each diet drink per day.

However, the idea that diet sodas can lead to weight gain isn't new. Last year, a group from Purdue University found that when rats were fed the equivalent of diet soda, they ate more high-calorie food afterwards than did rats fed the same amount of a drink sweetened with high-calorie sweetener.

The group hypothesized that the body regulates its energy needs through appetite and that it learns to associate sweetness with a lot of calories. But when fed artificially sweetened foods and drinks on a regular basis, the body figures it can no longer use taste to estimate calorie consumption. It assumes that it can eat all the sweets it wants, without consequences.

Let me give it to you straight - anytime you're drinking soda - diet or regular - you're not drinking something better for your body....water! Water is calorie-free and comes with a host of essential minerals too - things your body needs.

So next time you're thirsty, pass on the soda and grab a nice bottle of spring water or mineral water - hey even add some fresh lemon or lime too - your body will thank you!