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It's the most popular soda brand in the USA, so it's no surprise we’re putting away gallons of Coca-Cola products every year. Research from 2020 claimed that diet carbonated soft drinks accounted for 27.3% of US market, showing it's not just their full-fat counterparts we can't stop chugging.
You might think the 'diet' part of Diet Coke makes it healthier, but concerning reports claim that drinking even a single can of the sugar-free nectar can have an adverse effect on your body.
Elon Musk is said to knock back eight cans of Diet Coke a day, while President Donald Trump wasted no time in putting his infamous Diet Coke call button back in the Oval Office when he returned to power as the 47th President of the United States.
Even though Diet Coke prides itself on its sugar-free credentials, its sweetness still has to come from somewhere. That sweetness is in the form of aspartame, which technical nutritionist Ella Allred warned is awful for the human body.
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Speaking to the Daily Mail, Allred explained the effects Diet Coke can have on the body in just one hour and how it can lead to an increased risk of diabetes: "As soon as you taste the sweetness of Diet Coke, your body prepares for the sugar load and causes you[r] pancreas [to] release insulin.
"The insulin surge decreases the pancreas’ sensitivity to insulin, putting you at risk of developing diabetes type 2. The insulin triggers your body to store fat around your middle, and increases your risk of developing heart disease."
Your body has released the insulin about 20 minutes after you've got your Diet Coke fix, but that's just the start of your problems: "Now you have a lot of insulin in your bloodstream, pulling all of your blood available blood sugar into your cells leaving you with a massive sugar low.
“You then need sugar in your blood to maintain equilibrium.
"The sweet cravings kick in and may find you are reaching for another Diet Coke, which starts the cycle again."
40 minutes after cracking a can, Allred claims you can be facing 'addiction' because of the aspartame triggering your brain's reward centers. At the one-hour point, you'll likely be craving more due to your body thinking you've had sugar when you haven't.
Other side effects include the drink attacking your enamel, while the fact a can of Diet Coke provides no nourishment means it replaces what you would've got from potentially drinking something more nourishing.
Diet Coke also dehydrates the body, and as a lack of water can lead to brain fog, poor concentration, irritability, and fatigue, you might think twice before nabbing a Diet Coke.
The most worrying is that a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition claims that diet soft drinks increase your risk of diabetes more than standard carbonated soft drinks that are laced with sugar.
Despite a diet consisting of numerous McDonald's burgers and a seemingly unlimited supply of Diet Coke, President Trump has recently championed his own fitness at the age of 78. We dread to think what biohacker Bryn Johnson would have to say about that one.
