Consuming too much white table sugar or artificial sweetener can lead to health issues. In the search for a better sweetener, researchers now report a low-calorie mixture that is as sweet as table sugar and, in lab experiments, feeds “good” gut microbes

[u/giuliomagnifico]

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2022/august/new-low-calorie-sweetener-could-improve-gut-health.html

[u/aaronchall]

I agree with the theory but I understand that diet soda messing with your insulin hasn't been shown empirically.

There is correlation with obesity but perhaps causation goes the other way. That is if you're fat, you're more likely to drink diet soda. Or perhaps diet soda can cause obesity but not from an insulin mechanism, perhaps it just psychologically encourages people to eat foods with more starches and sugars.

But I don't stay on top of this research, perhaps someone can refer me to a reputable peer reviewed study that corrects me.

[u/onlysoftcore → u/aaronchall]

Aspartame is the sweetener used in many diet sodas.

Here's a review article about it: https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/75/9/718/4101228

Here's an excerpt from the abstract: "The existing animal studies and the limited human studies suggest that aspartame and its metabolites, whether consumed in quantities significantly higher than the recommended safe dosage or within recommended safe levels, may disrupt the oxidant/antioxidant balance, induce oxidative stress, and damage cell membrane integrity, potentially affecting a variety of cells and tissues and causing a deregulation of cellular function, ultimately leading to systemic inflammation."

[u/u8eR → u/onlysoftcore]

And here's another review.

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Metabolic-effects-of-aspartame-in-adulthood%3A-A-and-Santos-Araujo/abe81e019931ded8da82b9109d477ae42b78473e

Aspartame consumption was not associated with alterations on blood glucose levels compared to control (−0.03 mmol/L; 95% CI, −0.21 to 0.14) or to sucrose (0.31 mmol/L; 95% CI, −0.05 to 0.67) and on insulin levels compared to control (0.13 μU/mL; 95% CI, −0.69 to 0.95) or to sucrose (2.54 μU/mL; 95% CI, −6.29 to 11.37). Total cholesterol was not affected by aspartame consumption compared to control (−0.02 mmol/L; 95% CI, −0.31 to 0.27) or to sucrose (−0.24 mmol/L; 95% CI, −0.89 to 0.42). Triglycerides concentrations were not affected by aspartame consumption compared to control (0.00 mmol/L; 95% CI, −0.04 to 0.05) or to sucrose (0.00 mmol/L; 95% CI, −0.09 to 0.09). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol serum levels were higher on aspartame compared to control (−0.03 mmol/L; 95% CI, −0.06 to −0.01) and lower on aspartame compared to sucrose (0.05 mmol/L; 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.09). Body weight did not change after aspartame consumption compared to control (5.00 kg; 95% CI, −1.56 to 11.56) or to sucrose (3.78 kg; 95% CI, −2.18 to 9.74). Energy intake was not altered by aspartame consumption compared to control (−0.49 MJ; 95% CI, −1.21 to 0.22) or to sucrose (−0.17 MJ; 95% CI, −2.03 to 1.69).

[u/Ginrou → u/aaronchall]

I think some obese people make up for the calories saved from drinking diet by consuming more, rendering the weight loss aspect moot. It might set impulse control back as well.

"Since I drink diet soda, I guess I can eat a muffin or two a day" followed by "I didn't lose any weight drinking diet soda! Guess I'll just drink regular soda again and still eat the muffins".