Mend Your Diet

I drink 2 liters of diet sprite everyday...........what are the dangers?

Public Comments

1. Way to much sugar....it doesn't matter if it's diet or not. If you're on any kind of exercise program you should drop the soda all together and stay with water. Charlie c.
2. but soda is soooo tastey ! i feel like i have to drink it with every meal!! its sodaish and sweet. :(
3. Increase in glucose levels due to the sugar/ Increase in water retention due to the sodium in the sodas.
4. A normal Sprite contains: - carbonated water - high fructose corn syrup - citric acid - natural flavors - sodium citrate - sodium benzoate Here are the possible dangers related to some of those ingredients. Carbonated water: - Sparkling water showed a slight rise in tooth decay compared with normal water. Sprite contains this as well as a high sugar content, so either way, it's not great for teeth at all. High-fructose corn syrup (this basically means the sugars in the drink): - Tooth decay (as above). - There are indications that "soda and sweetened drinks are the main source of calories in the American diet." There is a striking correlation between the rise of obesity in the US and the use of high-fructose corn syrup for sweetening beverages and foods. Citric acid - Citric acid is not known to be harmful to the body when taken alone. So this ingredient won't do any harm. Sodium citrate - Couldn't find any information on the dangers of this. Can only be a good thing I guess? Sodium benzoate - In combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300), sodium benzoate and "may" form benzene, a carcinogen, or cancer-causing agent. "Benzene contamination of soft drinks is a public health concern and has caused significant outcry among environmental and health advocates." - Professor Peter Piper of the University of Sheffield claims that sodium benzoate by itself can damage and inactivate vital parts of DNA in a cell's mitochondria. "The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number of diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging." - Consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colours and sodium benzoate preservative are associated with increases in hyperactive behaviour in children (ADHD). I hope this helps. Don't let these results panic you, scientists have linked just about everything to an illness of some sort, but common sense would lead me to believe soft drinks are a lot more harmful than most milder drinks in many ways, some obvious, some a little more scientific. I'd recommend atleast cutting down - you don't have to deprive yourself of anything completely, but too much of anything is never good. Even eating too many bananas could actually kill you, believe it or not (but don't worry, you'd have to eat an awful lot). The sugar certainly isn't doing you good because it's very addictive, bad for the teeth, energy levels and general health. My philosophy is 'everything in small doses' - as long as you can keep a healthy balance, you're doing enough to decrease the risks! Good luck :)