Weight consciousness can lead to consuming so-called “diet” items such as sodas that don’t contain sugar, but there may be a downside here.

Weight isn’t only an entrenched obsession from a beauty-cultural perspective, but it is a definite health concern for millions. Looking at TV shows that feature individuals who weigh over 600 lbs. and are now seeking remedies by dieting and surgery serves as an example of how serious weight can become. Of course, these individuals may have stress-related or personality characteristics that drive them to eat excessively, and then there are those around them who contribute to the weight issues.

In addition to obesity, many adults suffer from other severe chronic conditions. An increased risk of cardiovascular disease is associated with hypertension, which 58% of overweight adults in the United States have. Nearly a quarter of overweight persons in the United States also have diabetes.

Both individuals and the healthcare system bear the financial burden of obesity-related medical expenses. Medical expenses for persons with obesity were $1,861 more per person in 2019 dollars compared to adults with a healthy weight. There was an additional outlay of $3,097 for every adult who suffered from extreme obesity. The corresponding 2019 medical expenses amount to about $173 billion.

From 2017 to March 2020, 41.9% of adults in the United States were obese. Simultaneously, 9.2% of individuals in the United States were severely obese. More than 22 million persons are very obese, and over 100 million adults are overweight.

Individuals are considered obese if their body mass index (BMI) is 30 or over. A BMI of 40 or above is considered severe obesity.

I recall consulting at a diet-drink program where primarily women who were determined to be obese (via the standard questionable BMI) had enrolled. The program put them on a diet drink and restricted them to about 900 calories a day.

Unfortunately, they weren't informed of the cardiac risk from lowered potassium (essential for nerves), the potential for hirsutism, or their spouses' attempts to sabotage their weight loss. One woman's husband kept bringing home high-calorie cakes and pizzas, and she found it difficult to resist them.

What happened? It upended their lives as when one woman went on a cruise and had to refrain from the many eating pleasures to keep to her drink, which she brought with her. They lost weight, but it caused difficulties in interpersonal relationships. Turning down invitations to celebrations became common.

One woman, who lost 125 lbs., insisted she’d buy the drink “somewhere” if the physician in charge refused to order more for her. Now, she was a shadow of her former self, and she was sinking into anorexia.

For many attempting to seek some relief from high-caloric drinks and still maintain access to these often bubbly drinks, diet soda has become endemic. However, diet soda is nutritionally worthless. Additionally, it includes artificial sweeteners, whose effects on health have been the subject of conflicting studies. Consuming multiple servings daily raises concerns about its potential “toxicity.”

What’s the Problem with Diet Soda?

Although excessive, some have seen it as an addiction to daily drinking diet sodas, but the American Psychiatric Association disagrees. Although many have attempted and failed to abstain from caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and diet soda, the ADA does not recognize these addictions. Is it possible to get addicted to diet soda?

To provide a sugary taste without the sugar, diet sodas and other food products use aspartame, a substance that has conflicting data related to cancer risk. After several studies failed to provide proof of association, international committees have come to one conclusion: limit their intake.

Consumption at this considered daily level is seen as safe for individuals. To be at potential risk, they have provided a guideline. An adult weighing 154.32 pounds would have to drink more than 9–14 cans of diet soft drink each day — assuming no other food sources — to surpass the permissible daily intake of aspartame, which is 200 or 300 mg in a can. But there are other factors involved here that contribute to continued consumption.

It becomes unmanageable for some people. These actions are becoming a habit for them. The removal of it causes them to go through withdrawal. Caffeine and aspartame in diet sodas make them hard to cut back on because, compared to sugar, artificial sweeteners only stimulate the brain’s reward system to a lesser extent, making people need more.

Is this an addiction? Not in the sense that psychiatrists have considered it. It’s more a compulsion, but it does hit that reward center, and isn’t that what addictive substances do?

The bottom line seems to be that diet sodas won’t kill you, but they may have a downside that needs to be considered.