The Aspartame Epidemic from Chronic Diet Soda Overconsumption

Authored By: Louis Rivera Art By: Grace Liu

Remember when smoking cigarettes was healthy for you? That's right, never, but it seemed that way once. In the 1930s and 40s, tobacco companies used doctors to promote cigarette use as a “healthy treat” [1]. Today, we know that smoking is bad for you, yet we have other adverse health-affecting products that fly under the radar. While scientists currently study some of them, society accepts others without scrutiny. One of these products is right in front of our eyes, which society has widely popularized as an appetite suppressant, a sugar alternative, and a zero-calorie treat: diet soda.

Diet soda has been praised online as a sugar-free alternative to sugary-flavored drinks with no added calories. Wow, how miraculous! That's what I thought, too, having chronically overconsumed diet soda for the past few years in an attempt to “stay healthy.” Only recently have I gotten serious about improving my health and realized how the “healthy alternative” has deceived me all along.

It is a common assumption that diet soda is a good alternative and beneficial for weight management, and is even supported by some research [2]; yet, ironically, it might be doing the exact opposite. The key factor in diet soda is the use of artificial sweeteners. These artificial sweeteners can increase appetite and food cravings, especially when consumed in high volume [3], as many have popularized online. At the moment, drinking diet soda feels part of the process. I feel hungry, so I should consume something to relieve my hunger. You then drink diet soda; you do not feel hungry for a while and assume it has cured your hunger. Eventually, your appetite returns not long after, and you once again want something to consume. Diet soda works for individuals, as it has for me, through a positive feedback loop, ultimately leading to the consumption of much more than a regular meal. It doesn’t stop there, as chronic consumption of diet soda leads individuals to think about food constantly. Not only does diet soda negatively impact weight management efforts, but this process is exhausting, especially when you disregard any responsibility of the diet soda. Another thing to consider is that daily drinkers of diet soda face a significantly higher risk of both incident metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes [4]. But that's it, right?

Aspartame is nowadays more of a buzzword for artificial sweeteners, but what is it, and is it really that bad for you? Essentially, aspartame is a chemical compound defined as the methyl-ester of the aspartate-phenylalanine dipeptide [5]. This may only mean something to you if you understand organic chemistry, but most importantly, it is a compound present in high quantities in most diet sodas. Generally, in low concentrations, there is no significant difference in health outcomes. This changes with overconsumption, especially in cases of chronic overconsumption [5]. Previous studies attribute aspartame overconsumption to behavioral changes and an elevated predisposition for malignant diseases [5]. Additionally, recent studies evaluating aspartame’s risks have developed some data supporting the compound's potentially carcinogenic (cancer-causing) effects on consumers [6] and potentially on individuals exposed prenatally [7]. Research strongly supports the avoidance of diet soda, but I write this article with something I feel is even more convincing: personal experience.

Diet soda has been part of my life for years, and while some people have told me it could be bad for me, I didn’t care. Nothing was better than a cold Diet Coke after working out or while typing away in a library. Once I decided to make a change, many aspects of my life improved after a few days of struggling with the temptation to go out and buy more Diet Coke. While research may be helpful to consider, feeling it was much more convincing. All the positive aspects of removing diet soda from one’s diet are easy to tell but much more convincing to experience. Letting go of diet soda has allowed me to feel more in control of my life, showing that while I was technically breaking a habit, I was creating much more space for healthy sleep, consumption, and heart health.

Works Cited

1. History.com Editors. (2018, August 13). When cigarette companies used doctors to push smoking. History. https://www.history.com/news/cigarette-ads-doctors-smoking-endorsement

   
   

2. Peters, J. C., Beck, J., Cardel, M., Wyatt, H. R., Foster, G. D., Pan, Z., Wojtanowski, A. C., Vander Veur, S. S., Herring, S. J., Brill, C., & Hill, J. O. (2016). The effects of water and non‐nutritive sweetened beverages on weight loss and weight maintenance: A randomized clinical trial. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 24(2), 297–304. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.21327

   
   

3. Yunker, A. G., Alves, J. M., Luo, S., Angelo, B., DeFendis, A., Pickering, T. A., Monterosso, J. R., & Page, K. A. (2021). Obesity and Sex-Related Associations With Differential Effects of Sucralose vs Sucrose on Appetite and Reward Processing: A Randomized Crossover Trial. JAMA Network Open, 4(9), e2126313. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.26313

   
   

4. Nettleton, J. A., Lutsey, P. L., Wang, Y., Lima, J. A., Michos, E. D., & Jacobs, D. R. (2009). Diet Soda Intake and Risk of Incident Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Diabetes Care, 32(4), 688–694. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc08-1799

   
   

5. Shaher, S. A. A., Mihailescu, D. F., & Amuzescu, B. (2023). Aspartame Safety as a Food Sweetener and Related Health Hazards. Nutrients, 15(16), 3627. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15163627

   
   

6. Landrigan, P. J., & Straif, K. (2021). Aspartame and cancer – new evidence for causation. Environmental Health, 20, 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-021-00725-y

   
   

7. Soffritti, M., Belpoggi, F., Tibaldi, E., Esposti, D. D., & Lauriola, M. (2007). Life-Span Exposure to Low Doses of Aspartame Beginning during Prenatal Life Increases Cancer Effects in Rats. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115(9), 1293–1297. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.10271