Coke and Diet Coke: The Facts & The Fiction

[ButtterflyLady]

An infographic has been doing the rounds on social media that makes several claims about the effect Coke has on your body after one hour. Science writers have debunked it.

Here is an interesting, well referenced article and infographic that takes it apart. Great website too:
http://www.compoundchem.com/2015/08/06/coke/

I'm always skeptical of infographics, memes and articles about foods, drinks, supplements and drugs that get circulated as if they are true. Most of the time you can find information that debunks them using science.

I hardly ever drink Coke, but if I am out somewhere and the choice is water or Diet Coke, I will sometimes have one, guilt free.

 

[Peterrhoades]

When doing my plumbing NVQ I remember the section on waste pipe. There are a few different types but you need the special waste pipe for strong acid strong alkaline and coke.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

When doing my plumbing NVQ I remember the section on waste pipe. There are a few different types but you need the special waste pipe for strong acid strong alkaline and coke.

How do plumbers know if the users of the building are going to use coke or not? Or do they install these pipes everywhere as a matter of course?

 

[phoenix]

Yes, I've seen that infographic being touted by people who really should know better.
"Coke isn’t great, but misinformation is worse" sums it up pretty well.

 

[Indy51]

Maybe it's just a case of their own tactics at spreading misinformation being returned in kind?

http://www.beyondchron.org/conflicts-of-interest-real-important-and-undeniable/

 

[zand]

I tend to look at what coke/diet coke has done to my own body. My conclusions are that coke is bad, diet coke is worse. If no study backs me up it doesn't matter. I am convinced in my case that it's 100% true and that's the only information I need. That's what is relevant to me. Studies lie, the tape measure doesn't. Diet drinks help to cause insulin resistance which in turn may make us fat.

Oh, and I am out of this thread now. My views are my own and they won't be changing no matter who tries to convince me otherwise.

 

[noblehead]

I tend not to drink a lot of carbonated drinks as they gas me up, but a Diet Coke with ice is nice & refreshing drink and I'll occasionally have one when dinning out and have to drive, like everything it's moderation.

 

[phoenix]

Maybe it's just a case of their own tactics at spreading misinformation being returned in kind?

http://www.beyondchron.org/conflicts-of-interest-real-important-and-undeniable/

Tit for tat ? Just destroys any credibility
Why not just stick to findings that can be substantiated? They aren't favourable .
From the SACN report https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...file/445503/SACN_Carbohydrates_and_Health.pdf
Consumption of sugars-sweetened beverages is associated with a greater risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Randomised controlled trials conducted in children and adolescents indicate that consumption of sugars-sweetened beverages, as compared with non-calorically sweetened beverages, results in greater weight gain and increases in body mass index; this fjnding suggests that there is inadequate energy compensation (degree of voluntary reduction in intake of other foods or drinks), for energy delivered as sugar
diet versions not such good evidence either way
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/01January/Pages/Do-diet-drinks-really-make-you-fatter.aspx
Caffeine? Lots of people find it problematic but if you drink coffee without problems then I doubt that soda is going to cause you a problem.

No argument from me though in that I agree water should be the preferred alternative or maybe not

http://www.dhmo.org/

 

[Peterrhoades]

Next time your sink is blocked just use a can of coke. Better than Mr muscle.

 

[Celeriac]

When I was a teenager a friend of mine used Diet Coke to clean a nylon rope. It cleaned it all right, the rope disintegrated. If you want to clean coins for a penny floor, diet Coke will make them look brand new.

I had a minimum 6 day a Diet Coke habit for several years and my GP figured that helped give me insulin resistance. I haven't drunk any since 201 and I had horrible caffeine withdrawal.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

When I was a teenager a friend of mine used Diet Coke to clean a nylon rope. It cleaned it all right, the rope disintegrated. If you want to clean coins for a penny floor, diet Coke will make them look brand new.

I had a minimum 6 day a Diet Coke habit for several years and my GP figured that helped give me insulin resistance. I haven't drunk any since 201 and I had horrible caffeine withdrawal.

I don't know what your GP was basing that on but it seems unlikely to me that drinking diet coke would be the main cause of insulin resistance. There were some studies a few years ago suggesting that artificial sweeteners encouraged weight gain because they gave the body the same signals as sugar consumption did, ie to increase insulin production. However, later studies showed that they don't do that, and it's only sugar consumption that increases insulin production, not artificial sweeteners. I prefer artificial sweeteners to sugar, but of course if you find your body does better without diet coke then you are probably right.

 

[Celeriac]

I didn't say that Diet Coke was the main cause and neither did he. I used the word 'helped'.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

I didn't say that Diet Coke was the main cause and neither did he. I used the word 'helped'.

True. Then the question is, did it help give you insulin resistance? I'm not sure how it would. It would be interesting to find out why he thought that, but I guess we'll never know.

 

[Baruney]

Coca cola co. Major sponsor of the Olympics. Arguably the most recognised brand in the world. $4 Billion marketing budget. Largest bottling factory is in China employing 5,000 people. What's more to say....

Shuí kòngzhì guòqù kòngzhì wèilái. Shuí kòngzhì xiànzài kòngzhìle guòqù.

What's the cost of a grade A medical study?

 

[Phlogiston]

Since our digestive tracts are not made of copper the reaction of weak acids dissolving superficial copper oxide from pennies is of no significance - the same reaction happens with vinegar, ketchup, brown sauce and many other edible materials.

 

[Brunneria]

I am afraid that entire barrages of scientific surveys are irrelevant to me, whether they argue for or against the use of sweetners.

I'm 48, which has given me decades of personal experience with artificial sweeteners. Sometimes I have had them intentionally, sometimes hidden in food and drink. Sometimes I am sure, I have not even noticed. However, different sweeteners can have different effects. Portion size is, I am sure, important. Sometimes it is that horrible chemically after taste (Diet Coke AND Diet Pepsi) sometimes it is insomnia (that gets old, fast), sometimes it is a jittery feeling, like too much coffee (that'll be the ones with caffeine then ) Sometimes it is restless, cat-on-coals feeling.

Took a while to work out that it was the various chemicals in these drinks (and other processed food and drink), but now that I avoid them like the plague, life is much improved.

Huge studies are all very well for taking years to produce a single questionable finding, ready for it to be batted about, chewed and deconstructed by peer review. All very entertaining. But I prefer to listen to my body, and it says that Coke, Pepsi and all other such drinks do not suit me. (nor does sugar free jelly, which is a source of sadness, but improved sleep )

And the older I get, the less they suit me.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

I am afraid that entire barrages of scientific surveys are irrelevant to me, whether they argue for or against the use of sweetners.

I'm 48, which has given me decades of personal experience with artificial sweeteners. Sometimes I have had them intentionally, sometimes hidden in food and drink. Sometimes I am sure, I have not even noticed. However, different sweeteners can have different effects. Portion size is, I am sure, important. Sometimes it is that horrible chemically after taste (Diet Coke AND Diet Pepsi) sometimes it is insomnia (that gets old, fast), sometimes it is a jittery feeling, like too much coffee (that'll be the ones with caffeine then ) Sometimes it is restless, cat-on-coals feeling.

Took a while to work out that it was the various chemicals in these drinks (and other processed food and drink), but now that I avoid them like the plague, life is much improved.

Huge studies are all very well for taking years to produce a single questionable finding, ready for it to be batted about, chewed and deconstructed by peer review. All very entertaining. But I prefer to listen to my body, and it says that Coke, Pepsi and all other such drinks do not suit me. (nor does sugar free jelly, which is a source of sadness, but improved sleep )

And the older I get, the less they suit me.

That's fine, some people have a sensitivity to artificial sweeteners that is obvious and it's easy for them to know they shouldn't take them.

The peer review process is an important part of ensuring that scientific findings are as accurate as possible. Some studies have questionable findings, while others have stronger findings, and it takes knowledge of the scientific method and study design principles to be able to distinguish between them.

 

[Indy51]

I love this variation on a theme: What happens in the hour after drinking organic kale juice:

http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2015/08/08/happens-hour-drink-kale-juice/
Larger version:
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fo...nking-kale-juice/story-fneuz92c-1227480836738

 

[photognut]

I love Coke!! best product on this planet, it saved my life!!
After an evening with friends with one guest only drinking Coke, there are a couple of small bottles left over the next day, and I just fancied a glass. It had been over 3 years since I veered away from my two daily beverages of water & tea. The lovely chilled, sweet drink went down a treat. It wasn't long before I felt really ill, half dead on the sofa wondering what the hell was going on. It took several hours to even feel human again. Next day I purchased a glucose testing kit - made an appointment to see my Doc to inform her I'm a Diabetic.
Thank you Coca Cola, you were, without a doubt, the diagnostic ingredient

 

[Celeriac]

IIRC both Robert Lustig and Jason Fung have touched on diet versions of sodas, saying that they create an insulin response because they taste sweet.

I lived in Canada for two years and came back with a 6 can a day addiction. I've never drunk a non-diet soda in my life. When I gave up drinking them in 2012 I had terrible headaches and had to go to my GP.

I tried several brands of konjac noodles, pasta and rice. I was chuffed to bits to be able to have 'spaghetti' but despite the zero carb de-starched nature of the konjac, I put on weight.

It seems that my body expects to deal with glucose and produces insulin, even if it doesn't get any - the same reaction with the sweetness of diet sodas.