Drinking two regular Cokes daily? Switching to a zero-calorie version, reducing 8,400 calories intake, could cut nearly 2.5 lb a month, but there’s a twist, states Harvard Medical School.
Coke Zero and Diet Coke are sugar-free versions of classic Coca-Cola. Rather than sugar, they use artificial sweeteners. Diet Coke mainly relies on aspartame, while Coke Zero blends aspartame with acesulfame potassium or Ace-K.
A 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola Zero contains no calories, fat, protein, or sugar. It does provide a small amount of minerals, contributing about 2 per cent of the recommended daily intake for both sodium and potassium, says Healthline.
But diet drinks can still make one put on weight because it leads to a hankering for high-calorie food and it could potentially disrupt how the body manages insulin, states Cleveland Clinic.
Sugar-free drinks don’t seem to support long-term weight loss or maintenance. They also lack nutrients your body truly benefits from. Healthier options include plain water, fizzy water, low-fat milk, or unsweetened tea and coffee, offers Mayo Clinic.
Not every drink with artificial sweeteners is calorie-free or sugar-free. Some mix sugar with sweeteners. Take Coca-Cola Life, for instance -- it’s flavoured with stevia but still has 90 calories and 24 grams of sugar per can, states Healthline.
People who consume diet drinks show increased activity in the part of the brain linked to cravings for fatty and sugary foods. These beverages appear to affect the brain’s reward system that responds to sweetness, states Cleveland Clinic.
Like standard soft drinks, consuming diet sodas like Coke Zero can raise the chances of damaging tooth enamel. This is largely due to the presence of phosphoric acid, according to Healthline.