The Unwanted Effects of Consuming Artificial Sweeteners

Diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose and aspartame, and studies have found that these sweeteners could actually cause weight gain. That is because, even though you are not getting any calories from your diet soda, you will end up feeling hungrier after drinking it. 

Basically, sweet flavors that are associated with artificial sweeteners cause to you have an increased craving for sweet foods, so drinking diet sodas will make you want sweet treats. In other words, your diet drink will increase your sugar cravings. All of that could lead to weight gain because you will be eating more sugar than you should. 

Why Does This Happen?

How does diet soda cause all those cravings for sugar, exactly? Basically, your brain will respond to taste by getting your digestive system ready to process the foods that you are consuming. Artificial sweeteners in diet sodas, however, don't activate the brain or the digestive process in the same way that the consumption of sugar would. This causes an increase in your appetite because your body will crave the real thing. 

Studies have also determined that tasting something sweet, like a diet soda, will cause your brain to send insulin out to handle the sugars that you are eating. But, again, there isn't really any sugar in diet soda, so the insulin is not necessary. This, too, leads to hunger and cravings for sweets because your body wants to use all that insulin. 

Better Choices

Rather than drinking diet soda when you are trying to slim down, stick with drinking pure water to quench your thirst and give your body the hydration that it needs without any of the calories or sugar. If you do want something sweet, though, you could infuse your water at home with your favorite fresh fruits. Or you could make some juice at home by using a combination of fresh veggies and fruits, as homemade juices will have less sugar than store-bought juices.  

Now that you know how diet soda and sugar cravings are related, you can make the wisest choices when it comes to what beverages you will enjoy with your meals.