Health Risk of Drinking Diet SodaDrinking diet soda becomes a better choice for people who are reducing weight or do not like sugar, nonetheless, it does have side effects of human bodies by changing external shape, damaging inside loop and affecting mentality.Diet soda is a drink that contains aspartame, which is the basic chemical for making other artificial sweeteners, it is used in most diet sodas (nutrition 306). It is designed for who prefer zero calorie drink and exist as a replacement for regular soda. The effects that diet soda brings to the surface shape of human bodies are very obvious, including bones and organs.

For example, according to a dentist’s journal, diet soda is very acidic(pH about 3.2), the acid will corrodes and dissolves enamel which leads to teeth decay (Caitlin Batchelor 34-37). Not only visible rotten teeth but also the color change of the surface because of the pigmentum. Moreover, a research in 2015 focused on the drawbacks of drinking diet soda by professor Mohan Garikiparithi shows that”Women who consume soda experience four percent bone losses compared to those who don’t. ” (qtd. 65-66). He found it is interesting that there is a connection between diet soda and osteoporosis, people who have a higher frequency of drinking diet soda usually get a higher chance to get osteoporosis which a lower bone density, especially for woman.

The result is mainly caused by the phosphorus acid, when phosphorus in the blood cannot be bind with calcium very well, the calcium in bones will be separated and held binding with phosphorus (Robert Heaney 38-39). On the other hand, organs will also be damaged by caffeine in diet soda. According to a 2012 study by University of Minnesota, about 10000 adults were included and the study is focused on the heart disease and blood vessels. The results show that one diet soda for daily consumption will have a 34% higher risk of metabolic syndrome(Nancy Ferrari 26-30). Cholesterol will block the blood pathway and change the shape of blood vessels, so it leads to a higher risk of getting stroke or heart disease.

Similarly, a research did by Dr. Sara N. Bleich at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tested almost 24,000 adults whose age are above 20 and recorded their diet beverage consumption habit. Not surprised, the result shows that 11% of healthy-weight, 19% of overweight, and 22% of obese adults drank diet beverages(Harrison Wein 21-24). This shows people who drink more diet soda appears to have a higher obesity rate than those who do not, which becomes a solid evidence of the chemicals in diet soda will cause the change of body shape and make the body under a sub-healthy condition.

The high-intensity sweetener aspartame in diet soda does not contain calories, but it will confuse body’s natural ability because of the taste and secrete fat which stores as hormone and cause obesity (Harrison Wein 63-65). Not only physically, drinking diet soda also causes the disorder of body systems. In a physician Micheal Greger’ s speech, aspartame, the chemical which exists in Equal and Nutrasweet, has the function of modulating brain neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin(17-20), which destroys the internal balance and endocrine dysfunction. Dopamine is a chemical that makes people feel excited and controls desires, long term of over secreting results in the over consumption of body’s energy and diseases, including 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome (University Wire 30-35).

Another example is methyl alcohol, this is one of the components of of aspartame, and it will be digested by the body into formaldehyde which is not only a antiseptic agent but also a deadly neurotoxin (Cristopher Pilny 27-29), so too much intake of diet soda increases the concentration of aspartame and the neural cells will be damaged by the toxic chemical that in the blood. Brain working relies on sugar supplies, however, aspartame belongs to artificial sweetener and the chemical structure is different, the side effect is the disorder of the nervous system. In addition, some people believe that drinking diet soda is able to make them healthier because it contains no sugar and zero calorie, but still has the taste of saccharine. Actually, aspartame, as a replacement for sugar, will increase sugar cavities.

Dovey Dana concludes that the body will not be satisfied and keep sending the signals in order to intake food(. 19-20). She explains as soon as aspartame arrives the brain, the signal of sugar needed is sent and chemicals in the body will increase the desire of drink and eat food. Further on, chemicals in diet soda affect people’s emotions and behaviors.

Emotionally, depending on the American Academy of Neurology, drinking too much diet soda every day (4 or more cans) will cause a 30% increasing chances of depression, also including memory loss and migraines (Wendy RN., BA 12-14). She also indicates that another component in diet soda, caffeine, is a substance that is easily to be addicted, the further symptoms also characterized by insomnia, anxiety disorders and the feeling of exhausted(19-20). Not only adults are affected, children who are growing and developing also have access to be influenced.

Research that was took in 2014 at Emory University in Atlanta, analyzed information from a federal health survey which has included more than 42,000 people? most of them were children (Beth Levine 23-27). The result clearly shows that children who drink more diet beverages every day have a heavier weight and a higher rate of insomnia than those who drink more water. Especially for children, the effects of diet soda on adults will cause double or more on their body system and one direct result of losing sleep, is losing concentration. Besides, by Wellness Team’s report, researchers found that diet soda may affect “reward processing” in different parts of the brain and hormone levels, it is more likely to choose a short-term reward for diet soda drinkers than a larger reward in the future (Beth Levine 59-62). Both mechanisms provide an explanation the epidemiologic findings.

In conclusion, because of the chemicals that are contained in diet soda, people who daily drink it leads to negative effects. From outside, the bones will be corroded by acid, artificial sweeter will cause obesity. From inside of the body, the endocrine system and nervous system disorder influences body process of mechanism. Most seriously, long term under sub-healthy conditions causes common diseases and symptoms that enable unusual daily behaviors and mental problems.