Depending on whom you listen to, diet soft drinks are either nutritional science’s greatest achievement or its most magnificent Trojan horse – a deliciously sugar-free indulgence or a wolf in calorie-free clothing, set to ruin your health in other ways. Yes, you can drink them without adding much to your energy intake, but are you playing tricks on your appetite or insulin levels that might backfire? Is whatever has taken the place of all that sugar worse?
It makes most sense to start with insulin. In case you are unfamiliar, this is a hormone, usually produced in the pancreas, that helps your body to use sugar for energy. It has been theorised for a while that your body has just as much trouble distinguishing between regular and diet soft drinks as your tastebuds, leading to overproduction of insulin that could cause everything from increased blood pressure to diabetes or stroke.
