Dear Diet Coke,

The explosion of no calorie or low calorie foods in the marketplace has not led to an overall decrease in weight for Americans. Healthful food choices, good eating habits, and exercise are what help us to achieve our optimal weight. Sweet-tasting food products with aspartame may actually contribute to sweet tooth development — diet sodas stimulate your sweet taste buds, allowing you to grow accustomed to 5 - 6 diet sodas a day. Most of us concerned about our weight would never even think about having that much regular soda in the same time period.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has noted some possible, but uncommon, neurological side effects of aspartame in people, such as headaches, hallucinations, panic attacks, dizziness, and mood swings. However, their link to aspartame remains unclear. Aspartame has not been studied long-term to determine its effects on humans over time, since it is a relatively new product. In the 1950s, saccharin exploded onto the U.S. markets as a sugar substitute with few calories and great taste. In the 1980s, scientists realized that saccharin is a carcinogen.

The current recommendation for aspartame from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a non-profit education and advocacy organization, is, "If you consume more than a couple of servings per day, consider cutting back. And, to be on the safe side, don't give aspartame to infants." (From Safe Food, by Michael Jacobson, Ph.D.)

You might want to think about substituting water, milk, or juice for some diet sodas. Both milk and orange juice would provide vitamins and minerals that otherwise might not be in your eating plan if you're only drinking diet sodas. One glass of skim milk has 300 mg. of calcium, along with lots of vitamin D and riboflavin. Orange juice contains vitamin C, potassium, and some beta-carotene.

Alice

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