There's nothing quite like the refreshing taste of Diet Pepsi. The soft drink has become a go-to beverage for people around the world. But several health experts say that the popular drink is really, really bad for your health. In fact, Diet Pepsi has been linked to several diseases and can even affect your brain! Here's why you should ditch the Diet Pepsi for good:
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1. Its ingredients trick your brain
Diet Pepsi gets its sweet taste from a variety of artificial sweeteners, including aspartame and sucralose. These ingredients "confuse the body’s natural ability to manage calories based on tasting something sweet," according to Dr. Josh Axe. This usually results in overeating, which then leads to weight gain.
2. Diet sodas can cause metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a metabolic disorder that involves three or more health issues (abdominal obesity, high blood sugar, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure or low HDL cholesterol). This is also linked to the artificial sweeteners used in these drinks.
3. It can also cause depression
Studies show that those who drink more than four cans of diet soda a day have a 30% risk of depression.
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4. It can also lead to kidney damage, too!
Harvard researchers found that there's also a 30% chance risk of lower kidney functions in long-term soda drinkers.
5. Not to mention, it's also linked to type 2 diabetes
A 2009 study revealed that drinking diet soda daily is linked to a 67% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
6. Diet Pepsi tampers with the gut-brain connection
Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science found that diet soda alters "gut microbes in a way that increases the risk of metabolic diseases" and can lead to "metabolic derangements." Yikes!
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7. It can also cause cardiovascular disease
University of Miami and Columbia University researchers found that those who drink diet soda daily were more likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack.
8. Diet soda has also been linked to dementia
According to the New York Times, drinking diet soda can also increase your risk for dementia, too!
9. It can also increase your risk of asthma
The more diet soda a person drinks, the higher their risk is for developing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a respiratory disease where there is an abnormal inflammatory response in the lungs and restricted airflow.