Written by Paris Kazemian

A poor diet is one of the leading causes of chronic diseases. Due to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity, there is a strong focus on dietary overconsumption and energy restriction. Many strategies focus on improving energy balance to achieve successful weight loss. One of the strategies to lower energy intake is refraining from sugars and replacing them with artificial sweeteners, which maintain palatability without ingesting calories.

Coke Zero was launched in 2005 as a sugar-free, low-calorie alternative to regular coke. One thing that’s quite funny is that while Diet Coke has been around since the 1980s. many men thought the title “diet” sounded a little too feminine and they weren’t interested in buying it.

So as a result, Coke Zero was born. It was marketed mostly toward men who wanted to enjoy the taste of a classic Coke with zero guilt. Coke Zero comes in several different flavours, including classic, vanilla, and cherry.

You might be thinking that a sugar-free soda sounds too good to be true. And you would be right!

Unfortunately, Coke Zero and other sugar-free sodas are not a soda lover’s dream come true. And you’ll soon see why?

Coke zero is marketed as a healthier version of the original sugar-sweetened beverage, Coca-Cola Classic. It contains zero calories and sugar while providing the signature Coca-Cola flavour, making it an appealing drink among those trying to reduce their sugar intake or control their weight.

Nutrition fact

 

Artificial sweeteners and weight loss

One 8-year observational study found that people who drank more than 21 artificially sweetened beverages per week almost doubled their risk of overweight and obesity, compared with people who didn’t consume these kinds of drinks. The same study noted that total daily calorie intake was lower in individuals who drank diet beverages despite their increase in weight. This suggests that artificial sweeteners may influence body weight in other ways than calorie intake.

Another study observed that drinking diet beverages was associated with greater waist circumference over 9–10 years.

On the other hand, many human intervention studies indicate that the use of artificial sweeteners is either neutral or beneficial for weight management. In one 6-month randomized controlled study, people with overweight or obesity experienced moderate weight loss of 2–2.5% of their body weight when replacing caloric beverages with diet beverages or water.

In another study, people in a 12-week weight loss program who drank artificially sweetened beverages lost 13 pounds (6 kg), while those drinking water lost 9 pounds (4 kg). Thus, the evidence on the effects of artificially sweetened beverages on weight management is conflicting, and more research is needed.

 

Coke zero and diabetes risk

Coke Zero is sugar-free. However, the sugar substitutes it contains may not necessarily be a healthier option for people looking to reduce their risk of diabetes.

You probably already know that regular soda has a ton of sugar in it, which means you should steer clear of it at all costs – diabetic or not.

For example, a 12-ounce can of regular Coke contains 39 grams of sugar, all derived from high fructose corn syrup, which makes that a double no. That can of beverage also packs 140 empty calories – meaning, you don’t get any nutrients from it.

To sweeten Coke zero beverage without adding calories, artificial sweeteners are used. The health effects of artificial sweeteners are controversial, and concern regarding their safety is growing.

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar (Coke Zero) uses several common artificial sweeteners, including aspartame and acesulfame potassium (Ace-K). The remaining ingredients are carbonated water, caramel colour, food additives, and natural flavours.

A 14-year study in 66,118 women observed an association between drinking artificially sweetened beverages and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Another study in 2,019 people showed a link between both sugar-sweetened drinks and artificially sweetened diet beverages and type 2 diabetes, suggesting that switching to diet beverages may not lower your diabetes risk.

Some other risks

Artificially sweetened beverages like Coke Zero have been linked to other health issues, including:

If your heart goes pitter-patter for diet beverages, it may not be due to love. Artificially sweetened beverages, a new study has found, may be just as bad for your heart as the sugar-laden kind.

An observational study found a link between artificially sweetened beverages and an increased risk of heart disease among women with no prior history of heart disease.

Drinking a lot of sugar-free cola beverages or other carbonated soft drinks might have effects on health. Kidney health may be one of those things. Kidney function declined over two decades in women who drank several diet sodas a day, according to researchers from the prestigious Nurses’ Health Study. In fact, compared with women who did not drink diet soda, soda-drinking women had a 30% greater reduction in kidney function in 20 years. More than 3,000 women (all nurses) have participated in the study for 20 years or more; now the women’s median age is 67 years.

At the start of the study, all the women had healthy kidney function, according to Julie Lin, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The high phosphorus content in sodas may cause kidney damage. A study noted that those who drink more than 7 glasses of diet soda per week doubled their risk of kidney disease.

The gut microbiome plays a key role in many aspects of health, including immune function, nutrient absorption, heart health, and more. Some research suggests that the artificial sweeteners found in diet soda might negatively affect your gut microbiome, which is the community of beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract. Artificially sweetened beverages can alter your gut microbiome, causing poor blood sugar control.

Generally, cola drinks contain a lot of phosphorus. Phosphorus works with calcium and vitamin D in your body to keep your bones healthy and strong. To do this, your body’s phosphorus, calcium and vitamin D all need to be in balance. When you have too much phosphorus in your blood, it causes your body to pull calcium from your bones to try and keep your blood balanced. One study observed that daily cola intake was associated with a lower bone mineral density of 3.7–5.4%. Similar results were found for those who drank diet cola beverages.

 

Drink coke zero or not?

In conclusion, Coke Zero does not add nutritional value to your diet, and the long-term effects of drinking diet sodas are still unclear. If you want to reduce your sugar or regular soda intake, opt for healthier, low-sugar drinks like herbal tea, fruit-infused water, and black coffee, and leave Coke Zero on the shelf.


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5 Responses

  1. I’ve heard some really concerning things about artificial sweeteners. There are studies suggesting potential health risks associated with their consumption, including effects on metabolism and gut health. I’m cautious about using them and prefer natural sweeteners when possible

  2. Some research suggests that artificial sweeteners may still trigger an insulin response in the body, similar to that caused by sugar. However, the overall impact on blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity appears to be minimal, especially in the context of a low-calorie or sugar-free diet.

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