Diet soda: good or bad? Here's what it actually does to our body
It's probably not exactly news to you that just because something is "diet" doesn't mean it's actually healthy. While this is mostly common knowledge, for some reason diet soda somehow still slips through the cracks. Whether we know it's not necessarily good for us but simply don't care, or truly think that it makes a different when it comes to our health -- it seems as though we still love and consume diet soda much more than we actually should.
But have you ever wondered what it actually does to our bodies? According to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, it does nothing good to put things lightly. Apparently, people who drank diet soda gained almost triple their abdominal fat over 9 years compared to those who did not. Over that period of time, people who didn't drink it gained about 0.8 inches around their waist, while people who did daily gained 3.2 inches. We know what you're thinking -- yikes!
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We all know that the stomach is an easy area to gain added pounds, and from these statistics, it appears as though it's the area that diet soda is attracted to most. If you're wondering why that is, Dr. Helen Hazuda, professor of medicine at the University of Texas may have the answer. She says that artificial sweeteners weaken the link in our brains between sweets and calories, leading to weight gain and cravings for sweeter foods.
Photo: Getty
In other words, drinks like diet soda may actually be leading to our weight demise instead of our prosper. So, before you reach for that can of diet pepsi, you might want to think twice and do your research!
Click through below for healthy snacks you can choose from to keep your body in good shape:
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