Diet coke - is it really so bad?

[Pastperfect]

The therapist that does my facials was horrified when I mentioned I drink diet coke. On the whole I have pretty good skin but she claims it wreaks havoc on face and body alike.

In fact she couldn't have been more horrified if I had confessed a crack addiction.

It's going to be hard to give up so just wondering if it's worth it?

ilovepowerhoop All in one glass? You are hardcore fizzy drinker!

I drink 3-4 cans a day. I have for the past 7 years. I would really struggle to give it up and can't function very well without the caffeine.

Happy to be a complete tart with my cola drinking though and will drink telco own brand diet coke just as happily as real diet coke.

I don't drink tea or coffee, and don't often drink alcohol, and I've never smoked, so I'm fairly relaxed about excessive diet coke consumption as being an allowable vice.

I drink far too much and have done for years and years. I did quit for one long period and am going to do so again, partly because of fears about the dire health consequences (although if they are all true I may be doomed by now) and also because it stops you drinking enough water and keeps you constantly looking for a 'sweet' taste. The trouble is that it does give you a feeling of fullness for no calories! Fizzy water is a replacement to some extent but is just as bad for your teeth as diet coke.

During the period I gave up I didn't notice any change to my skin so I'm not convinced by that, but I am sure drinking more water instead would be good for skin. I don't drink tea or coffee, don't smoke, very very rarely have any alcohol either flowery but I think that is why diet coke has become addictive. I did find when I gave up I had to operate like an alcoholic and avoid any at all, one can every so often would not be an option.

I'm going to set a deadline of the end of this month at the latest to be down to zero (not Coke zero ). If anyone has dire dire things to say about the damage to life and limb please warn me first as I will panic severely if I see it, I already know I have to stop drinking it.

People who drink lots of fizzy drinks are known to be more at risk of osteoporosis, but it's because the fizzy drinks are replacing milk, milky hot drinks and orange juice, not because the diet coke is leaching calcium.

Not true.

The phosphoric acid is what does the damage

read here

Diet coke and osteoporosis

Yummy!!!

Did we cross post ?

I don't think it's conclusive yummypickledeggs.

WebMD article here

The article implicates fizzy drinks and caffeine. Cola contains both.
Conclusive enough to me.

I'm a bit meh about it tbh

I smoked 20 fags a day for 18 yrs before finally quitting... I'm not going to sweat about one can of diet coke a day...

I know water is better for me, and I drink plenty of that, but it's v dull.

I was referring to your earlier assertion that phosphoric acid is to blame, as that does not appear to have been proven.

"but I think I probably drink too much of it (I shift most of a 2 litre bottle a day)."

There's no probably about that. 2 litres of coke a day is a lot

I am a grown up and drink grown up drinks - tea, coffee, gin and tonic

Well if the NOS suggest keeping off it with all the research they do, then that's a good enough reason for me.

I drink 1.5 l a day. No other vices. I get complimented on my skin all the time :)

Just to clarify that the National Osteoporosis Society doesn't actually advise people to cut out fizzy drinks, or refer to them as harmful, but rather to make sure that you are also drinking other more nutritious drinks alongside them.

They also make the point that phosphoric acid is present in only very small amounts, and that the link between this and bone strength has not been proven.

here

The National Osteoporosis Society is always very conservative about saying something is harmful unless it's been proved so categorically.
There is evidence that fizzy drinks and cola can cause harm as shown in this research.

www.webmd.boots.com/osteoporosis/features/fizzy-drinks-osteoporosis

I agree with squoosh. Everything in moderation. The odd can wont kill you. If you drink it by the bucket load it wont be good for you. Just be sensible.

I love diet coke and drank a ton of it... until I started dating DH and saw that he soaks his golf clubs in coke because it takes the rust off. basically quit cold turkey after that.

It's also brilliant for cleaning the loo- put down overnight and better than bleach.

I used to drink loads of it, for years and years. I gave up a few months back because I really thought I was having too much (at least 3 cans a day). I've found it really easy, I cut down for a couple of days then stopped altogether. I was expecting it to be much harder, having heard how addictive it is!
On the downside, I also haven't noticed any difference at all to anything - skin, weight or anything.

Sort of loopy thing an unqualified therapist would come out with to make it sound like they were, er, qualified. Ignore. Next week it will be something else.

rots your teeth, no nutrition, expensive, good for cleaning toilets. Probably not harmful otherwise.

there are so many lovely things to eat and drink, why would you?

It dehydrates you which is bad for your skin. I drank some last night after not having any for months. I woke in the night feeling very dehydrated with a headache. This morning I felt hungover (I don't drink alcohol). Horrid stuff.

I only really drink water and have very good skin. I don't even moisturise!

TBH I don't really believe anything a beauty therapist says during a session. Apologies to beauty therapists, you all do a fab physical job and I used to love having sessions but what with the sales pitch you have to do for eight different kinds of cream and the crap about toxins I can't be doing with it any more.

Next time say 'Oh? I'll go back to the litre of whisky and 20 fags a day then'.

Ah I like Lola the Herring Gutter.