Re: Diet Cola better than Regular? Not according to this study!

On Sun, 24 Jul 2005 18:53:02 -0700, realjob wrote in
<news:dqmdnSg-7tl62HnfRVn-jg@xxxxxxxxxxx> on sci.med.nutrition :

> Diet soda? Fat chance.
> Dr. Tedd Mitchell for USAWeekend.com, Health Section
> A new study's shocking bottom line: If you habitually choose low-calorie
> over regular soft drinks, your risk of obesity balloons!
> Like many others in the '80s, I consumed lots of soda during my college
> years. When I met my wife in medical school, I shifted from regular to diet
> sodas. I grew accustomed to the familiar diet soda aftertaste,

What is the diet soda aftertaste like? (I don't know, I'm not a drinker).

> rationalizing
> that this choice was good for my health.

Diet sodas "good for health"? I doubt that, and not just for the obesity
risk.

> While regular soda remains the king of the soft-drink industry, consumption
> of diet versions has increased consistently since the mid-1990s. Better
> weight control must be part of the picture, right? Well, maybe not. In a
> study conducted by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San
> Antonio, researchers found that those consuming diet sodas gained more
> weight over the study period than their counterparts consuming regular soft
> drinks.

Have they ever tried the same test with "light" vs. regular cheese? :)


> The data were reported at the annual meeting of the American
> Diabetes Association in San Diego last month.
> The study followed more than 600 people for up to eight years. The
> participants had normal weight at the beginning of the study and ranged in
> age from 25 to 64. They were asked about soft-drink consumption -- what type
> (diet vs. regular), how many cans per day, etc. They were then followed over
> time, and that's where things got surprising (see box).
> Although these findings certainly were intriguing, the researchers were
> quick to point out that diet sodas don't cause obesity. Remember, most diet
> sodas contain zero calories, and consuming something with zero calories
> can't make you obese. What gives? Well, several theories have been proposed.
> The first is that although a diet soda may taste sweet to your palate, your
> body still knows that it's nutritionally empty, so by consuming it you wind
> up sending your body on a mission to find calories from somewhere to make up
> for the calories that weren't in the soda.

Does all that read: "there is insuline release anyway"?

> Another theory, which I think is
> right on the mark, is that we develop a certain mind-set in which we believe
> that because diet soda is calorie-free, we have license to eat other foods
> more liberally. As a result, even though the soda may be calorie-neutral,
> the diet produces a calorie surplus.

There may be other explanations too:
- soft drinks let you eat more, as they help digesting heavy meals, I think
(and you drink more freely as you know it's diet soda);
- even diet sodas keep the habit of a sweet tooth.
- people who drink diet sodas, and "diet" stuff in general, perhaps do so
becouse they are less confident of controlling their own weight by limiting
quantities and making more phisical activity;
- sodas are often associated to an unhealthy diet and life-style...

> At a time when our nation is wrestling with a weight-control problem, asking
> tough questions about our dietary habits is important. Although this study
> raises more questions than it answers, it should serve as food for thought
> for us all. If we fill our diets with unhealthful foods, our choice of
> beverage is unlikely to make up the difference.
> Want to get healthy? Watch what you put on your plate and what you pour in
> your glass. When it comes to beverages, consider more healthful
> alternatives,

Like water...

> and save the sodas for weekend treats.

Or just ditch them. :)

> Tedd Mitchell, M.D., is the medical director of the Wellness Program of
> Dallas' Cooper Clinic.
>
>
>
> REGULAR VS. DIET
>
> Regular soft-drink consumption:
> Approximately 33% of those drinking one to two cans per day became
> overweight or obese.
> Approximately 47% of those drinking more than two cans per day became
> overweight or obese.
> Diet soft-drink consumption:
> Approximately 54% of those drinking one to two cans per day became
> overweight or obese.
> Approximately 57% of those drinking more than two cans per day became
> overweight or obese.
> Source: University of Texas Health Science Center

What about non-drinkers?
.