Drinking Diet Coke is Harmful to Health - Essay Example

and Number of the Teacher’s Drinking Diet Coke is Harmful for Health Introduction Around one-third of all carbonated beverages sold in the United States are of the Diet category. However, these drinks are not particularly healthier, states Michael Jacobson, PhD, executive director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Although devoid of sugar, a can of Diet Coke contains the mildly addictive caffeine, acids that cause dental erosion, and harmful artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (Prevention 167). Further, Diet Coke and other diet sodas are not effective in preventing weight gain; on the other hand, research evidence indicates that there is increased risk of obesity with greater consumption of Diet Coke (Fowler, Williams, Resendez et al 1894). Similarly, there are other adverse effects of Diet Coke on health. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this argument paper is to support the view that the consumption of Diet Coke is detrimental to weight loss and to maintaining good health. The Adverse Health Outcomes of Consuming Diet Coke The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved of the sweetener acesulfame potassium, or Sunett, for use in various instant beverages and other food products. The sweetener is manufactured by Hoechst Celanese Corporation. The company’s tests have not proved that the product is safe; on the other hand, research studies by some of the scientists at the company’s laboratory have indicated that the product may even cause cancer in laboratory animals. The FDA is “now reviewing Sunett for soft drinks, the biggest and most competitive market for artificial sweeteners” (BBN 7C). The annual sales of low calorie soft drinks such as Diet Coke at retail outlets in the United States reached $3.8 billion, according to Information Resources Inc. The Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has stated that if Sunnet is approved for use in Diet Coke, millions of Americans will be further exposed to large amounts of the additive. The Cocal Cola firm plans to use a blend of Sunett with NutraSweet (the brand name for the artificial sweetener Aspartame) in Diet Coke popular as “the nation’s leading diet soda and the third-largest selling soft drink” (BBN 7C), after Sunett’s approval by the FDA. The Hoechst Celanese disputes the CSPI’s opposition to the artificial sweetener, “arguing that Sunett is already in some 3,000 products in 80 nations” (BBN 7C). The manufacturer argues that there is no record of harmful effects from Sunett’s use in Europe for more than 10 years. However, the rising incidence of America’s obesity is found to correlate to the increasing use of noncaloric artificial sweeteners such as aspartame in Diet Coke and sucralose in Pepsi One. “While people often choose ‘diet’ or ‘light’ products to lose weight, research studies suggest that artificial sweeteners may contribute to weight gain” (Yang 101). Various large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain. For example, the San Antonio Heart Study investigated 3,682 adults over a duration of 7-8 years (Fowler et al 1894). When a comparison was undertaken between the initial body mass index (BMI), gender, ethnicity and diet, it was found that consumers of artificially sweetened beverages such as Diet Coke showed consistently higher BMI at the follow-up sessions, along with dose dependence on the quantity of consumption. The control sample indicated an average BMI gain of +1.01 kg/m2, while people in the third quartile for artificially sweetened beverage consumption revealed a gain of 1.78 kg/m2 (Yang 104). Part of the reasons for linking Diet Coke with increasing obesity relates to the fact that it serves as a guilt-reducing mechanism in dietary self-control. Results from the study conducted by Khan, Dhar and Wertenbroch (144) verified their concept that a Diet Coke is considered by consumers as a guilt-reducing justification that permits an increased indulgence in other high calorie foods, particularly when the motivation to avoid guilt is strong. Similarly, Khan and Dhar (259) reiterate that initial virtuous choices such as selecting Diet Coke lead to guilt-reduction through justifications, and result in indulgence in subsequent decisions regarding choice of high calorie foods. Moreover, Prevention (167) observes that “artificial sweeteners can interfere with the body’s natural ability to regulate calorie intake”. This may cause greater likelihood of over-indulgence among people who consume artificially sweetened items. Besides causing higher risk for obesity, research evidence indicates that Diet Coke is detrimental to health in various ways. Dental erosion results from the low pH in soft drinks. Thus, tooth decay is not directly caused by the artificial sweeteners in Diet Coke because caries-producing bacteria cannot ferment the artificial sweetener aspartame to produce acid (ADA 5). This is supported by Kitchens and Owens (153) who concluded from their research study that both carbonated and non-carbonated beverages caused significant dental caries; and that fluoride treatments did not have a protective influence on dental enamel surfaces. Further, Diet Coke causes a higher risk for heart disease, incident metabolic syndrome, calcium deficiency and Type 2 Diabetes (Natu, 2012). Consumption of diet soda every day casued 36% higher relative risk of incident metabolic syndrome, and a 67% increased relative risk of type 2 diabetes, as compared with nonconsumption of diet soda. Among metabolic syndrome elements, greater waist circumference and high fasting glucose level were prospectively associated with diet soda consumption. Additionally, links between diet soda consumption and type 2 diabetes were independent of baseline measures or changes in adiposity while links between diet soda and metabolic syndrome were dependent on these factors, state Nettleton, Lutsey, Wang, et al (688). Further, Diet Coke has an adverse effect on bone health due to calcium deficiency mainly caused by substituting milk with Diet Coke. Conclusion This argument paper has asserted that the consumption of Diet Coke does not aid weight loss, it only serves to increase obesity, and has several deleterious effects on health. The artificial sweetener in Diet Coke is Aspartame (brand name: NutraSweet). The argument is supported with evidence from research studies asserting that Diet Coke does not help in achieving weight loss, on the other hand it increases obesity due to the artificial sweetener interfering with the body’s regulation of calorie intake, and due to the alleviation of guilt resulting in over-indulgence in high calorie foods. Additionally, adverse health outcomes include dental decay due to low pH content in soft drinks, calcium deficiency, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and incident metabolic syndrome. Works Cited ADA (American Dental Association). Joint Report of the American Association Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations and Council on Scientific Affairs to the House of Delegates. Response to Resolution 73H-2000, 2001 October. Retrieved from: http://www.ada.org/sections/advocacy/pdfs/topics_softdrinks.pdf BBN (Bloomberg Business News). New Sweetener Draws Fire: Product May Cause Cancer in Animals. Bloomberg Business News. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO). 1 August 1996, 7C. Fowler, Sharon, Ken Williams, Roy G. Resendez., Kelly J. Hunt, Helen P. Hazuda, and Michael P. Stern. ‘Fueling the Obesity Epidemic? Artificially Sweetened Beverage Use and Long-term Weight Gain’. Obesity 16.8 (2008), 1894-1900. Khan, Uzma, Ravi Dhar, and Klaus Wertenbroch. ‘Hedonic and Utilitarian Consumption’. Inside Consumption: Frontiers of Research on Consumer Motives, Goals, and Desires. Eds. S. Ratneshwar and David G. Mick. New York: Routledge, 2005. 144-165. Khan, Uzma and Ravi Dhar. ‘Licensing Effect in Consumer Choice’. Journal of Marketing Research 43 (2006 May), 259-266. Kitchens, Michael, and Barry M. Owens. ‘Effect of Carbonated Beverages, Coffee, Sports and High Energy Drinks, and Bottled Water on the in vitro Erosion Characteristics of Dental Enamel’. Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentristry 31.3 (2007 Spring), 153-159. Natu, Rujuta. ‘A Closer Look at the Health Hazards of Artificial Sweeteners’. The Journal of Global Health. Retrieved from: http://www.ghjournal.org/jgh-online/a-closer-look-at-the-health-hazards-of-artificial-sweeteners/ Nettleton, Jennifer A., Pamela L. Lutsey, Youfa Wang, Joao A. Lima, Erin D. Michos, and David R. Jacobs, Jr. ‘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 (2009 April), 688-694. Prevention. ‘The Diet Dilemma’. Prevention 58.10 (2006 October), 167. Yang, Qing. ‘Gain weight by “going diet?” Artificial Sweeteners and the Neurobiology of Sugar Cravings’. Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine 83 (2010), 101-108. Read More