Does Diet Coke Make You Gain Weight?

Does Diet Coke make you gain weight? There are no scientific studies that show that drinking diet coke will lead to weight gain. Diet coke is a mixture of carbonated water, artificial sweeteners, and food additives.

One 12 ounce can of Diet Coke contains 0 calories, sugar, fat, and 40 mg of sodium. The artificial sweeteners in diet coke are aspartame, saccharin, sucralose.  The acids in diet coke are citric, malic, and phosphoric acid. These types of acids are all linked to tooth enamel erosion. A can of diet coke soda contains 46 mg of caffeine, but a diet Pepsi contains 35 mg of caffeine. The most used colors in diet coke are carotenoids, anthocyanins, and caramels.

Does Diet coke make you gain weight? Photo credit: iStock-nicoletaionescu

There are some observational studies that have linked artificial sweeteners and drinking high amounts of diet soda to obesity. Some scientists have also said that drinking diet soda can increase your appetite and stimulate your hunger hormones such as leptin.

There are no human studies that link drinking diet soda to weight gain because the calories are 0. Experimental studies do not support the claim of weight gain. Those studies show that drinking diet soda can result in weight loss.

There was a research study that had overweight participants who drank 24 ounces of diet soda or water per day for one year. The diet soda group lost 13.7 pounds in a year and the group that drank water lost 5.5 pounds.

Research studies have linked diet soda to diabetes and heart disease. There was a study in over 64,000 women that showed that drinking artificial sweetener drinks were at a 21% higher risk of diabetes.

Research has also shown that drinking diet soda has been linked to kidney disease. People who drank more than seven glasses of diet soda per week nearly doubled the risk of kidney disease.

There are internal health risks if you drink too much diet soda, so the best health advice is to drink it within moderation.

The Bottom Line is there no research has linked diet soda drinking by itself to weight gain because it has 0 calories. But drinking it is linked to heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. If you are going to drink diet soda, do it within moderation.

“There are no scientific studies that show that drinking diet coke will lead to weight gain.” Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike

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