This website is about pursuing optimal health. We all know that soda is not conducive to this. However, while diet soda can help to reduce sugar intake, it does so at a potential expense, and it certainly doesn’t do anything to directly promote health. A nutritious diet based on natural whole foods is a much more healthful way to promote weight loss and reduce sugar intake.

Yes, this is opinion, but it’s also common sense. And yes, you can find plenty of published research that claims aspartame is safe, but it’s also easy to find research showing potential risks. In regard to optimal health, it’s all irrelevant anyway because anyone who wants to regularly drink a processed beverage that offers no nutritional value and contains potentially harmful additives obviously has conflicting priorities. I too encourage people to do their own research and come to their own conclusions.

I find it ironic that you encourage people to ask their doctors about aspartame when most doctors are more likely to prescribe medication for conditions that could be more safely and effectively resolved with lifestyle modifications. This is not to completely discredit doctors because much of it is a result of insurance restrictions and people being lazy. I’m sure most doctors would say that the drugs they prescribe are safe, but this doesn’t mean that they’re without risk. It all comes down to risk versus benefit, and in regard to soda, I think more benefit comes from avoiding it altogether rather than finding an alternative that makes no contribution to health and potentially trades one problem for another.

The calorie in vs calorie out theory is a gross oversimplification of metabolism. If it were as simple as you suggest, there would be far fewer people who are overweight.

In juivenile rats, 2 mg per Kg of body weight of aspartame has been shown to cause degeneration of the hypothalamus which controls the pituitary, and in turn, alters production of growth hormone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone.¹ These last two hormones play a significant role in fertility, so it is conceivable that asparatame can promote infertility as well as alterations in hormone levels. Degeneration of the hypothalamus and pituitary due to aspartame consumption has also been shown in juivenile rabbits.²

1. Puica C, Craciun C, Rusu M, Cristescu M, Borsa M, Roman I. “Ultrastructural Aspects Concerning the Hypothalamus-Pituitary Complex Reactivity Following Chronic Administration of Aspartame in Juvenile Rats.” Studia Universitatis “Vasile Goldis,” Seria Stiintele Vietii. 2009. 19(1):19-24.
2. Puica C, Craciun C, Rusu M, Cristescu M, Borsa M, Roman I. “Ultrastructural Aspects Concerning the Hypothalamus-Pituitary Complex Reactivity Following Chronic Administration of Aspartame in Juvenile Rabbits.” Veterinary Medicine. 2008. 65(1):424-429.

Obviously, the best approach is to simply not drink processed beverages on a regular basis. If you insist on drinking low calorie sweetened beverages, I think stevia is the way to go, but I’d try to avoid the Truvia and PureVia varieties made by Coke and Pepsi. While stevia doesn’t turn a normally unhealthy processed beverage into a healthy one, I think it makes a significant difference by eliminating the risks associated with sugar and artificial sweeteners.

It’s great to see that you’ve embraced the idea of minimizing your consumption of soda altogether rather than simply switching to diet soda. I think your question comes down to a comparison of the health risks of sugar versus artificial sweeteners which isn’t an easy one. If I were in your case and felt that I needed to make reductions in gradual increments, I think I’d rather do it with regular soda than diet soda, especially if blood sugar regulation isn’t an immediate concern. However, I’d also avoid the Red Bull if possible and let the afternoon fatigue serve as incentive to reduce soda consumption as quickly as possible.

i think this article is fab and has really answered all my questions. Having recently become alcohol free (yeahhhh) i thought id try pepsi max as an alternitive along side tea ect and then it dawned on me that no suger is to good to be true! thanks for your article its been a great help. Do you know if aspartame can afect fertility/hormones?
thanks lisa

I saw a advert today on TV for Pepsi-max and I did a search to see what was better tasting, pepsi max or coke zero.. Good thing I clicked on this site and read the information you shared. I have been on and off coke zero and regular coke for some time and I find it hard to kick the habit.. I guess moderation is key but it is still tough..

My question is, what you do you think about these new Stevia sweetened soft drinks? I have had a few in the past and I like them better then diet sodas.. I am sure they are not 100% good for you, but are they at least marginally better for you? I see alot of back and forth opinions online about it… I am not looking to replace drinking coke, but if I am gonna try to kick the habit it would be good to know if those Stevia sweetened drinks are a better alternative.

Thanks for keeping up with the comments!

I think a more pertinent concern than how effective artificial sweeteners are for weight loss is the potential for them to negatively influence your health. Even if they are effective for weight loss, which isn’t always the case, there are better ways to lose weight that promote optimal health at the same time.

I agree that stress is likely to have a much more significant impact on health. If you need caffeine to handle your lifestyle, it’s a strong indication that your body can’t keep up with the demands that you’re putting on it. The caffeine is giving you an artificial source of energy that’s allowing you to continue pushing yourself beyond your limits, and this is likely to eventually result in compromised health and your capacity being reduced even further. If you get to this point, your body may not even respond to the caffeine. I hope you’re able to find a better alternative.