• Question: is diet coke better for you than normal coke?

    Asked by abbytasker to Charlie, Eoin, Jemma, Julian, Steve on 22 Mar 2011.
    • Photo: Charlie Ryan

      Charlie Ryan answered on 22 Mar 2011:

      hi abby i don’t know really – but i hope so as i always drink diet coke in the crazy assumption that because it says diet it must be good for you!

    • Photo: Stephen Moss

      Stephen Moss answered on 22 Mar 2011:

      Hi Abby

      I’m not sure either are very good for you. Normal coke will make you fatter and more likely to become diabetic because of the sugar content. But both contain high levels of acid and can cause major damage is to your teeth.

    • Photo: Julian Rayner

      Julian Rayner answered on 22 Mar 2011:

      Hi Abby. I don’t really know, but I have certainly read that it could be worse for your weight – the artificial sweetners they put in to take out the calories can actually stimulate your appetite and make you want to eat more. I haven’t seen the data, so don’t know how real that is, but it is interesting. Personally, I see Coke as a vehicle for getting caffiene, and I prefer my caffiene in espresso…

    • Photo: Jemma Ransom

      Jemma Ransom answered on 22 Mar 2011:

      I think they’re both pretty bad for you. Diet coke however doesn’t have any sugar which the kids at coca cola will tell you is better for your teeth etc, however being as both coke and diet coke have a seriously acidic pH, I don’t think either is particularly good for your teeth.
      Also, I’m always wary when manufacturers take the sugar out of their products because they have to replace it with something which often means more flavourings and nasty stuff. So don’t drink coke, have an apple instead!

    • Photo: Eoin Lettice

      Eoin Lettice answered on 22 Mar 2011:

      Hi abbytasker,
      Diet coke replaces the sugar with a synthetic sweetener called aspartame. Some people wrongly suggest that aspartame is dangerous but there is absolutely no evidence to back that up.
      Overall diet coke probably has less calories than normal coke, but It’s still a sensible idea to only drink it in moderation and not to overdo it!

      Eoin

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