Maybe Diet Soda Isn’t That Bad

Are you a diet soda hater? Many people are repulsed by the very idea of diet soda — believing it to be artificial-tasting, and doubting its claimed health benefits. But some new “first person” research shows that moving to the Diet stuff may be worth the switch.

George Prior, a 50-year old from Los Angeles, gained fame last year when he conducted a soda-drinking experiment to gauge the health effects of over-imbibing America’s favorite beverage.

Specifically, Prior set out to drink ten Cokes a day for 30 days. At the end of his experiment he had gained 23 lbs. Along the way, he blogged a daily reading of his weight, blood sugar, and blood pressure.

The results weren’t positive: Prior reported having difficulty maintaining a healthy eating regimen, gained a shocking amount of weight and had trouble sleeping.

As a related experiment, Prior recently repeated his 30-day soda binge, using Diet Coke instead of regular Coke.

The results have been much more positive this time around. In fact, it seems that drinking ten Diet Cokes per day has had little perceptible affect on Prior’s health.

“Physically, I feel great,” says Prior, in a statement. “It has been much easier to drink the Diet Cokes – no energy swings, carb cravings, or weight gain. But I have to wait for the blood test results to see the full story.”

Indeed, we’ll have to wait and see his before-and-after blood test results to know if his health has been impaired in any way. But so far, so good.

The beverage industry is quick to point out that they implore users to drink their products in moderation. It’s also worth repeating that Prior is 50 years old. This is certainly an age where everybody has to worry about over indulging in sweets, (or any kind of junk food).

But Americans much younger than 50 are having problems with obesity, Type II diabetes, insomnia and a range of other health issues that can be directly related to diets heavy in sugary, caffeinated drinks.

Perhaps the old adage, “everything in moderation,” is true in this case. But many Americans have problems with moderation. So perhaps the best advice might be, “if you must drink soda, the diet stuff may be better for you than the regular.” Of course, you could always play it safe and stick to water.