The Diet Soda Myth and Barriers to Good Research

A recent study had a lot of negative things to say about diet sodas, but how seriously should we take that study? Observational research can be powerful and useful, but it can also lead to shaky outcomes. So, what does this study tell us about some of the limitations in how research is done?

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Credits:
John Green -- Executive Producer
Stan Muller -- Director, Producer
Aaron Carroll -- Writer
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Tiffany Doherty -- Writer and Script Editor
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[amogus]

I consume diet soda to curb cravings while on cut and bulk phases of my bodybuilding. It's definitely a game changer.

[schia]

as a lazy, fast food junkie, student whos addicted to soda, i lost about 6 kg in about 5 months just by switching to diet coke without changing diet or workout routine.

[ClaireWhiteheadIrl]

The longer this show goes on, the more Aaron sounds increasingly pissed off and sarcastic.

[phantomstrider]

I always appreciate these vids. I've never really understood why the media feels the need to demonize dietary improvements. As a thin marathon runner for 10 years, diet soda/sweeteners is basically the only sweet treat I give myself. And honestly, it's never given me a single problem. It was Healthcare Triage that let me feel confident with enjoying sweetener in my tea and diet drinks. And I'll always appreciate that.

[swaggamer]

I lost 90 pounds in 4 months dieting and drink an insane amount of diet soda probably 6 cans a day and I’m very healthy now

[lilimarlene]

1. As I tell my students: correlation doesn’t mean causation, but it doesn’t rule out causation, either. Correlation shows that there is some sort of relation but doesn’t indicate direction. 2. There is a publication bias in professional journals. Studies showing a significant outcome are more likely to be published than those with no significant outcome.

[DrAdnan]

Glad I can keep drinking my diet soda in peace 😁

[pattiann]

Thank-you for that video. I'm so tired of feeling guilty for drinking a Diet Coke once in a while. I've even started only drinking them in private because people look at me like I'm shooting heroin in restaurants. I know I don't 'need' them but that's not really the point.

[LitNick.]

Dude I’m doing everything I can to share this video with anyone I can. In the first 3 minutes you clearly and concisely pointed out issues with media and even academia that lead to lack of trust in science. It’s a shame that the systems of today make it so that quantity of information is valued more than quality.

[aurora]

So many people have said to me, "I've never met a thin person that drinks diet soda." I do! My grandma drank diet Pepsi every single day and was skin and bones.

[persianwhite]

As always, thank you for the great content. Happy new year!

[duncanjewell]

At least for me, I drink diet soda due to my type 1 diabetes which already raises my risk of an early death.

Correlation does not equal causation

[khhbgvu]

It's really crazy that just by switching to no calorie sweeteners and to low fat things you can lose 8-10 kilos in a year, by still keeping on eating every other junk you eat.

[elektrikhd]

My solution: cut back on all soda. Too much sugar in regular, too many migraines in artificial sweeteners (your mileage may vary).

[ericpowell]

Does anyone else think that all politicians be required to watch this so they could be a little less scientifically illiterate?

[jameslee]

IF YOU SPEAK OF A "STUDY", NAME THE STUDY AND DATES OF THE STUDY WITH THE EXPERTS INVOLVED WITH THE STUDY...."ALWAYS!"

[stormbob]

At first I was super disappointed that this didn't actually provide any answers to the question "Is diet soda a health hazard?" but now I'm 100% on board with your point that we can't really ever answer that question definitively.


(Either way, I'm gonna keep drinking this Diet Coke in front of me, and incidentally it's for one of the reasons noted in the video. Back when I was in college I would drink 2L of regular pop a day, and eventually I realized that drinking ~1500 calories worth of pop every day probably wasn't a good idea. I switched to diet and never looked back!)

[bighoss]

There's a lot of people that I know who drink regular soda because they think diet soda is bad for you. Complete nonsense.

[hanoh]

But in keto we add artificial sweetners. A lot of them especially in keto desserts. What's the difference?

[robinm]

THANK YOU. The correlation/causation thing in regards to diet soda has bugged me for years. Especially since diet soda tends to be the go to for diabetics, prediabetic. At least as an alternative to full sugar sodas.