Still think a diet drink is work of the devil and will kill you?
More Evidence that Aspartame WILL NOT Kill You!
Despite two recent meta-analyses indicating that the use of low calorie sweeteners (LCSs) is associated with lower BMI and sustained weight loss (refs 1 & 2), some researchers still maintain that LCSs can negatively affect weight loss efforts by messing with blood glucose control.
As such, in a study published last week Higgins and colleagues assessed the effects of three daily aspartame doses (0, 350, and 1050mg/d) on glycaemic response, appetite, body mass and composition.
In the 12-week, parallel-arm design, 100 healthy adults (18-60y) were randomly assigned to one of the conditions. For reference, 350mg of aspartame equates to roughy two 330ml cans of Diet Coke.
Key Findings:
– Building on previous smaller studies, the main outcome of this study was that consuming the equivalent of two or six cans of Diet Coke per day for 12 weeks had no effect on glucose and insulin levels in response to glucose tolerance testing (see image).
– There were no differences on body mass and body composition across the three study arms (0, 350, and 1050mg/d).
– Levels of hunger, fullness and thirst were unaffected by aspartame consumption.
– HbA1c (a marker of 3-month average blood glucose levels), total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and liver function (ALT & AST) were also no different between trials.
In summary, having a few diet drink every now and again is absolutely fine. Those who claim otherwise probably wear tin foil hats in their spare time.
References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26365102
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24944060
This study – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29659969
Originally posted by Joseph Agu.
