Quitting Diet Coke can improve heart health and gut balance, say experts

TAM Desk ||

It may have zero calories and no added sugar, but experts say Diet Coke is not generally considered a healthy beverage.

Previous studies have linked diet soda in general to increased metabolic and cardiovascular risks, among other health effects.

“Research shows that drinking two or more artificially sweetened beverages per day may increase the risk of heart disease and stroke,” Michelle Routhenstein, a New York-based registered dietitian who specializes in heart disease, told Fox News Digital.

“Another study showed that just one diet soda increases the risk of Afib, an irregular heartbeat that increases the risk of vascular events, like stroke.”

Some studies show this may be due to how artificial sweeteners are processed in the body and the metabolites they produce, Routhenstein said, while other research suggests that diet sodas may negatively change the balance of gut bacteria, which plays a role in chronic disease.

“Many of my clients who have ditched Diet Coke mention how they never realized how addictive it can be,” she added.

Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina, noted that Diet Coke contains artificial sweeteners that have been linked to weight gain and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

“Aspartame, the artificial sweetener in Diet Coke, has been labeled as possibly carcinogenic by the World Health Organization and may negatively affect our gut microbiome,” she said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

A woman’s hand suggests she wants to push away a glass of soda with ice cubes in it held in another person’s hand.

Many industry experts maintain that aspartame is still safe for consumption, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In 2023, the FDA issued the below statement on its position on aspartame.

“Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply. FDA scientists do not have safety concerns when aspartame is used under the approved conditions,” the agency said. “The sweetener is approved in many countries. Regulatory and scientific authorities, such as Health Canada and the European Food Safety Authority have evaluated aspartame and also consider it safe at current permitted use levels.”