Not only does it contain aspartame, ace-K and sucralose, but it also has more caffeine than most diet sodas, and it gets its color from Yellow #5, which has been shown to cause hyperactivity in some children. Keep in mind that all of them - except Sprite Zero - also contain caramel color and thus the potential for 4-MI.Īnd unless they’re labeled “caffeine-free,” the caffeine in these sodas can be a problem for children, pregnant women and people sensitive to caffeine.ĭiet Mountain Dew may well be the riskiest diet soda because it has the greatest number of questionable additives. MORE: 4 Ways To Beat Your Diet Soda Addiction In One Week Pepper (123 mg), Diet Coke and Caffeine-Free Diet Coke (125 mg). Their aspartame content, in order from least to most per 8-ounce bottle: Sprite Zero (50 mg), Coke Zero (58 mg), Pepsi Max (77 mg), Diet Pepsi (111 mg), Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi (118 mg), Diet Dr. ShutterstockAspartame is the go-to sweetener in most diet sodas, so regular drinkers might think twice about what they’re guzzling. Consumer Reports’ testing has found that some sodas sold in California have much lower levels of 4-MI than the same brands sold in other states.ĭiet Coke with Splenda also carries no aspartame risk, but the sweetness comes from sucralose, which is now on the caution list, per the CSPI, as well as ace-K, which is on CSPI’s avoid list. In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization, concluded that 4-MI is “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” and California now lists it as a carcinogen. The levels of 4-MI are much higher in Diet Pepsi than in Diet Coke, according to testing by Consumer Reports. In the process, contaminants like a cancer-causing agent called 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MI, can form. “The caramel color used in soda is made with ammonia and sulfites under high pressure and temperatures,” Lefferts explains. MORE: 8 Things That Happen When You Finally Stop Drinking Diet Sodaĭiet Pepsi also contains caramel color, which is not like caramel you might make at home by melting sugar in a saucepan. “The thing is, aspartame has undergone better cancer testing than these other artificial sweeteners,” Lefferts explains, “so while it appears to be the worst from a risk perspective, it’s possible that these others are just as bad and we just don’t know it.” But it still contains ace-K, which is poorly tested, although two studies suggest it may pose a cancer risk, as well as sucralose, which the CSPI is now approaching with caution since the authors of a forthcoming study link it to leukemia. diet soda.)īased on what we know about diet sodas’ main components, here’s how they stack up.ĪPThe newly reformulated Diet Pepsi no longer has aspartame - so that may push it to the top of the list. (Though diet’s hardly healthy check out this comparison of regular soda vs. “We know that sugar drinks are a major cause of obesity and have also been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, not to mention tooth decay,” Lefferts says. And diet sodas are still likely a better choice than their full-sugar cousins.
Other artificial sweeteners - including ace-K and sucralose - may also pose a cancer risk, and there are safety questions about artificial colors, including the caramel coloring found in most sodas (even some ginger ales), as well as certain emulsifiers.īefore you spit out the diet cola swishing around your mouth right this second, the fact is that the cancer risk from food additives is likely pretty small, Lefferts says. A study last year by the American Cancer Society did not find a link. Several animal studies have linked aspartame to cancer risk, and a highly controversial study from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2012 explored a possible link in humans, although even the researchers from that study admitted that it was a weak link. “Diet sodas contain several questionable ingredients, but aspartame is the one we’re most concerned about.” Lefferts, senior scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a food safety watchdog group. “The change reflects widespread public concern about the safety of aspartame,” says Lisa Y. PepsiCo ditched the controversial sweetener aspartame in response to consumer demand, replacing it with sucralose, known by the brand name Splenda, and acesulfame potassium, or ace-K, both sweeteners thought to be safer. This week, a freshly revamped Diet Pepsi - with the phrase “now aspartame free” on its silver label - will hit supermarket shelves nationwide.
0 kommentar(er)
