005: Sugar, Corn, and Diet Sodas

If you're unfortunate enough to be a soda addict even though you know it's bad for you, you might be wondering what kind of soda is the lesser of the evils. I will be breaking down for you the three most commonly found types of soda and the cons of each of them for you to be able to make an educated decision for yourself on what's the best of the least healthful.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup Sodas
The bulk of soda sold have their sweetener being high fructose corn syrup. This includes nearly all the popular sodaas such as all Coke and Pepsi sodas, Dr. Pepper, and 7Up along with most off-brands (excluding nearly all diet sodas).

You've probably saw the commercials that ran for a few years that boasted of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) being nearly identical to sugar and how it was made from corn, but that's obviously a mask that is being put on to disguise the dangers of consuming HFCS.

HFCS is all empty calories. There is no nutritional benefit from consuming it, and it's loaded with calories. The body neads a certain amount of calories to function at its best; consuming too much results in weight gain, if it is not burned off with exercise. But sugar is empty calories as well, so how does one choose between HFCS and sugar?

This is how you choose. HFCS limits Leptin secretion in the digestive system. Leptin signals the body when it is full. The sweetness increases the production of Ghrelin. Ghrelin signals the body to eat more. The end result? Your body loses its ability to know when it's full and is always craving more. This will inevitably lead to obesity, if one does not exercise. However, one can of soda is over 200 calories. It would take two miles of walking to burn off most of ONE can of soda. Most soda drinkers I know don't just have one can of soda a day. If you like HFCS soda, I hope you like exercising A LOT.

Sugar Sodas
Most sodas that contain sugar display it proudly on their label in some way. The "throw-back" sodas that have emerged in the past year or more are also made with sugar instead of HFCS. That was the original sweetener for sodas.

Like HFCS, sodas made with sugar (even organic cane sugar) are empty calories. There is no nutritional benefit whatsoever from a sugar filled soda. People who switch to diet sodas from sugar and HFCS sodas usually see a ten pound drop in their weight. And consuming a lot of sugar on a regular basis can easily lead to diabetes. Sugar also promotes tooth decay which most everyone already knows.


Artificial Sweetener Sodas

I will not be going over each individual artifical sweetener. Consider the health effects listed below to be for the most common ones found in diet sodas but excluding stevia and xylitol.
Artificial sweeteners are weak carcinigens which means they are cancer promoting in your body. I only say weak because it's only been tested in animals which scientists have linked to its being a carcinigen, but there have been some definite links to artifical sweeteners to cancer of the bladder.

It can also cause headache, dizziness, change in mood, vomiting, abdominal pain, cramps, change in vision, diarrhea, seizures, memory loss, depression, and fatigue in some individuals. A few extra pounds from drinking regular soda doesn't sound so bad right now, does it?

In various studies done, artificial sweeteners have been show to promote no weight loss. If fewer calories are being consumed by using artifical sweeteners, one would wonder why the weight would then not be lost. The studies were inconclusive as to why.


So what's the least harmful soda?

It would depend on your personal choice. You can save calories and possibly avoid being overweight which comes with a mess of health issues, but in turn you're risking the possiblity of cancer. As far as non-diet sodas goes, it seems pretty obvious that, if you were to choose, sodas made with sugar are better than ones made with high-fructose corn syrup. But comparing diet and "regular" soda is a tough and personal choice.

The best option is to stop drinking soda and start drinking water. A lot of people are dehydrated from their overuse of sodas. Sodas are not hydrating and most people need a lot more water than they're drinking. Try switching to a sparkling water to get the same bubble as soda. Your body will thank you.