People turn to diet soda to cut down on their consumption of sugar. Are they making any improvement to their health, though, considering the artificial sweeteners and other harmful ingredients in diet soda?

1. Is Diet Soda Bad For You? Effect of Unhealthy Ingredients

2. Do You Drink Diet Soda To Avoid Sugar? Sugar Causes Weight Gain Obesity Inflammation Leads to degenerative disease like Diabetes Heart Disease

3. Weight: Not The Only Factor To Health You can be the ideal weight and still be very unhealthy

4. Many Turn To Diet Soda To Limit Sugar Concern about Weight gain Obesity Diabetes Heart disease

5. What Are Ingredients in Diet Soda? Artificial sweeteners to replace sugar Aspartame Splenda (Sucralose)

6. Aspartame Safety Breaks down into Methanol Formaldehyde Formate

7. Aspartame Safety These three components are “byproducts” because the aspartame is artificially created. These elements would not exist in natural, whole foods, or would be accompanied by “protectants” in their natural state. The methanol would be accompanied by ethanol.

8. Aspartame Safety Illnesses associated with Aspartame Seizures Breathing problems Memory loss Nausea Headaches

9. Aspartame Saftey Disease potential increases with Aspartame Parkinson’s disease Epilepsy Diabetes Brain tumors Cancer Thyroid disease

10. Aspartame Safety Originally banned by FDA, then approved at a later date. Banned by European Food Safety Authority

11. Aspartame Safety Studies determine Aspartame safety 100 % of industry funded studies find Aspartame safe. 92 % of non-industry funded studies find Aspartame harmful.

12. Sucralose (Splenda) Safety No long term studies done yet Short term studies show shrunken thymus glands and other organ damage on rats

13. Other Harmful Ingredients High acidity – pH of about 3.4 Healthy pH is about 7.5 If you drink diet soda to quench your thirst, you may not have enough saliva to break down the acid in diet soda Cancer can only live in acidic environment

14. Other Harmful Ingredients Artificial colors and preservatives Proven allergenic link to hyperactive behavior in children and the artificial colors and preservatives in diet soda

15. More Bad News Diet soda actually causes weight gain Brain receptors detect sweetness Not associated with “proper” amount of calories Actually increases hunger and cravings Causes you to eat more

16. Is Diet Soda Bad For You? Yes! Health problems from toxic ingredients far outweighs decrease in sugar consumption For better health choose non-sugary beverages with healthier ingredients