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Diet soda depression


Soda and Depression: Is There a Link?

People often talk about the physical effects of drinking too much soda — but can these drinks also affect your mental health?

It’s well known that too much sugar can be bad for your body. It’s logical to wonder if soda with added sugar or sweetener can be bad for your mental health, too.

Research on the role of regular and diet sodas in depression is just emerging, but it may make you think twice about picking up that next can of pop.

There are many factors to consider regarding soda and mental health, including blood sugar and long-term health effects.

Effects of soda on the body

Although any exact connection remains unknown, some experts believe soda may harm your mental health for several reasons.

First, sodas can spike your blood sugar levels quickly. That’s because they provide sugar without any fiber or nutrients to slow its absorption. High blood sugar levels can cause inflammation in the brain, which is linked to depression.

Second, drinking too much sugary soda can lead to weight gain, and some research suggests that excess weight can increase the risk of depression.

A recent 2019 meta-analysis suggests that just 2 cups (473 mL) of sugar-sweetened soda per day may increase depression risk by 5%.

Long-term effects

Long-term studies have investigated how regular soda intake may affect your mental health.

A 2017 observational study tracked the eating habits and mental health status of more than 10,000 people for 5 years. It concluded that drinking sugary beverages increased the risk of developing depression.

An older 2014 cohort study tracked over 250,000 older adults over 10 years. It found that those who drank 2–3 or more cans of soda a day had a 16% greater risk of developing depression than people who didn’t drink any. In addition, the more soda the participants drank, the greater their risk of being diagnosed with depression.

Although it’s not possible to definitively conclude that drinking soda increases your risk of depression based on observational studies like these, the results do indicate that more research on a possible connection is warranted.

Even though sugar appears to be the culprit in any negative effects of soda, diet options may not necessarily be any better.

Like regular sodas, diet sodas have been linked to a higher risk of depression. In fact, the same 2014 cohort study mentioned above suggests that the risk is higher for diet sodas than sugary ones.

Further, in a cohort study from 2017, female participants who drank one or more diet drinks a day were significantly more likely to have depression.

These results may be related to the content of artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose in diet drinks. Some researchers speculate that these sweeteners could negatively affect the brain and mental health.

For instance, a small 2014 randomized double-blind study gave 80 healthy adults a diet high in aspartame. Still, their daily intake was below the acceptable daily intake. After 8 days, the participants had more irritable mood, more signs of depression, and worse scores on cognitive tests.

Keep in mind, though, that most people don’t consume as high levels as those used in this study. Still, the cumulative effect of drinking diet sodas sweetened with aspartame over many years may be worth considering.

It’s generally believed that aspartame blocks the release of important neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin in your brain. These compounds play key roles in mood and well-being. Lower levels are often seen in people with depression.

In addition, aspartame may cause oxidative stress and increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol. It’s speculated that this can damage neurons in the brain and cause symptoms of depression.

So, while cutting out sugary sodas might improve your mental health, diet sodas are not necessarily a good alternative.

Certain foods may help protect you from developing depression.

According to the same 2014 study in over 250,000 people referred to earlier, coffee and tea may decrease your risk of developing depression. It’s speculated that these drinks can protect your brain from harmful oxidative stress thanks to their anti-inflammatory properties.

However, avoid going overboard on the coffee. The above-mentioned cohort study from 2017 indicates that drinking more than 4 cups (946 mL) a day could instead increase your risk of depression.

Foods rich in fiber like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, may also help ward off depression. Fiber helps keep the bacteria in your gut healthy, which positively impacts your mental health.

Healthy high fiber foods include:

  • beans
  • chickpeas
  • vegetables
  • berries
  • nuts and seeds

Dark chocolate is another excellent choice when it comes to fighting the blues. It has powerful mood-boosting properties — just make sure to choose a low-sugar version.

Magnesium is a mineral that’s essential for good mood and mental health. Diets low in magnesium are linked to a greater risk of depression.

High-magnesium foods include:

  • legumes
  • dark leafy green vegetables
  • pumpkin seeds
  • yogurt

Vitamin C is another key nutrient when it comes to mental health. It’s needed for the brain to produce dopamine, an important neurotransmitter involved in mood. Vitamin C also reduces inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain.

Excellent sources of vitamin C include:

  • citrus fruits
  • tomato juice
  • bell peppers
  • broccoli

To reduce your risk of depression, it can help to avoid foods high in sugar and fat like pastries, cake, and ice cream. Recent 2020 research suggests that these foods create inflammation in the body and contribute to depression.

To cut down your intake of sugar, also keep an eye on how much fruit juice you drink. Just like soda, these drinks can be a high source of sugar. Other often-overlooked or hidden sources of sugar include ketchup and salad dressings.

In addition, try to limit or cut out processed foods like potato chips, hot dogs, and sugary breakfast cereals. A large 2019 cohort study labels these as inflammatory foods directly linked to increased symptoms of depression.

Lastly, cut back on how much alcohol you drink. Although many people often turn to alcohol when feeling down, any potential relief is short-lived. Long-term, alcohol can increase the risk of depression.

While definite conclusions are lacking, current research suggests that regular and high intakes of sugary and diet sodas might increase the risk of developing depression.

The high sugar content in regular sodas and the artificial sweeteners in diet soda could be to blame for these potential adverse mental health effects.

Still, that doesn’t mean you should never drink soda again. It’s fine to indulge once in a while, as long as you don’t make it a daily habit.

If you find yourself often craving and reaching for a soda, try to instead opt for alternatives like:

  • water
  • herbal tea
  • coconut water
  • vegetable juice
  • sparkling water
  • cucumber-and-lemon-infused water

Could Diet Soda Cause Clinical Depression? | Science

A new study suggests a link between diet soda and depression, but it’s important to remember the difference between causation and correlation. Image via Flickr user DavidMartynHunt

Despite a lack of evidence in the scientific literature, we’ve seen aspartame—the calorie-free sugar sweetener found in diet drinks—blamed for a variety of health problems, everything from multiple sclerosis to migraine headaches. But here’s a new one: clinical depression?

In a preliminary release of a study to be published by Honglei Chen and colleagues from the National Institutes of Health, a survey of 263,925 adults nationwide indicated that consumption of sweetened drinks—especially diet sodas—was associated with an increased chance of a depression diagnosis. The authors, who will present their work at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in March, released only a summary of their study today.

To come to the findings, the researchers combined old data with new. They began by examining a survey originally conducted in 1995 and 1996 in which adults between the ages of 50 and 71 recorded their daily soda, tea, fruit punch and coffee consumption. Then, for this study, they returned to the same survey participants more than a decade later and asked if they had been diagnosed with depression in the years since 2000.

They found that those who drank four or more cans of sweetened drinks (whether soda, diet soda or fruit punch) had a significantly higher chance of being among the 11,311 study participants who were later diagnosed with clinical depression that those who didn’t. For sodas as a whole, there was a 30 percent greater chance of depression, but diet sodas carried a further 22 percent increase as compared to regular ones. Interestingly, regular coffee consumption was associated with a 10 percent lower chance of depression.

Does this mean you should stop drinking diet Coke and starting chugging coffee immediately? Probably not. This type of suggested link between two seemingly unrelated factors is an ideal time to bring up the difference between causation and correlation. Do the ingredients in both diet sodas and normally-sweetened drinks trigger changes in brain chemistry that lead to depression? Or are people with the tendency to become depressed simply more likely to drink these beverages in the first place?

Without the full paper, it’s hard to know for sure—we don’t know if the study’s authors controlled for all relevant factors, making sure to compare study participants who were alike in all ways except for their beverage consumption. As a result, a third, unrelated factor may cause people to both drink more soda and become depressed more frequently. Since the study is backward-looking, it’s especially hard to rule this out: The researchers can’t go back to 1996 and make sure to ask the participants every potentially relevant question to ensure that all potentially important factors have been taken into consideration.

Additionally, the fact that an association was found for both regular and diet sodas makes a causative link seem less likely. For that to be the case, either both sugar and aspartame must trigger depression, but at different frequencies, or a third ingredient in both sodas is responsible, but is somehow modulated by the presence of the natural or artificial sweetener.

So, what’s the simplest explanation? Those who like to drink a lot of diet soda are more likely to already be at risk of developing depression. And people who like to drink a lot of coffee are already less likely to be among this group. Perhaps, then, your underlying preference for how you get your energy buzz—whether through coffee or sweet drinks—may reflect something about your mental state.

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"Dietary depression"

"Dietary depression"

Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Head of the Department of Differential Psychology and Psychophysiology of the Moscow State Psychological and Pedagogical University Tatyana Alexandrovna Meshkova told the magazine "Women's Health" about dietary depression.

Is dietary depression a new phenomenon in psychology?

- This is most likely a new term. But the phenomenon is old. It's just that these days, the connection between diet and depression has been identified and proven. nine0007

But here is a case from my practice fifteen years ago. Teenage girl. Impulsive, emotionally vulnerable, with bright and strongly expressed desires. And overweight - 84 kilograms. On the advice of doctors, the girl is put on a carbohydrate-free diet - without bread, potatoes and sweets.

Three months later she lost ten kilograms. But at the same time she began to get tired of minimal physical exertion. I couldn’t study in the tenth grade - distracted attention, inability to force myself to study. Plus - vulnerability, tearfulness, low mood. And even statements like “I don’t want to live.” nine0007

As a result, a confirmed diagnosis of depression. By the way, the weight came back very quickly. There was no time for a diet - the girl had to be taken out of a severe depressive state.

— Is the absence of sweets and bread in the diet capable of inflicting such a blow on the psyche?

- First off, cutting out carbs is just the tip of the iceberg. Certain nutrients, obtained with a particular food, run a lot of processes in the human body. If some group of products is taken and withdrawn from "everyday life", these processes either change or stop altogether. nine0007

Dietary depression occurs at this “biochemical” level. After all, a sufficient amount of serotonin ceases to be produced. And dopamine. That is, the hormones of joy and good mood. The result is at first simply a depressed and tearful state. And there - close to depression.

Secondly, if we are talking about teenagers, then many of them restrictive diets are contraindicated in principle. Especially if the child is impulsive, emotionally unstable.

At a young age, it is very difficult to cope with dietary restrictions solely by willpower. Because the areas of the brain responsible for the will have not yet “grown up”. And any ban does not last long - a breakdown is sure to follow. nine0007

— What are the main causes of dietary depression in adults?

- Imagine your body is exhausted by stress. Diet. Control and will power. Since the main sources of sweets for mood are banned, where will he “scoop” his sweets in a constant mode? That's right, nowhere. And then he sounds the alarm. “Escaped” by depression from a state in which it is difficult to fully live.

There are certain personality traits that can also trigger depression. Say, an increased degree of neuroticism. When an adult is very unbalanced, psychologically unstable. Diet can "unbalance" it even more. And as a result, signs of depression will appear. nine0007

Excessive perfectionism can also be called a risk factor. Oddly enough, in the matter of losing weight, this can be pretty hindering. Because where other people forgive themselves for an extra cookie or the wrong candy, the perfectionist will be harassed that he couldn’t, “didn’t pull it”. And in this state, it can easily “slide” into depression.

It is even more difficult for obese people. Especially women. They already live in constant anxiety because of their weight. That is, the body is already on the verge of stress - and it is also put on a diet. Vicious circle. nine0007

- It is often recommended to replace food with shopping or other pleasures. Will it prevent depression?

— Of course, you can buy new clothes instead of a cake. But if it helps, it doesn't really matter. Short term. This is an additional load on the control system of the brain.

A woman is losing weight. The body is deprived of the usual food. It changes biochemical processes. Feeling worse.

A similar situation with the psyche. You have to keep yourself on the diet. The psyche is tense. And you are trying to translate it into an interest in shopping, preening or walking. For a while, this can, of course, be distracted. But only for a while. nine0007

— Are more women affected by dietary depression? Or do men suffer too?

- Women generally suffer from depression two to three times more often than men. In addition, representatives of different sexes actually have very different attitudes towards their own weight.

We have conducted family studies on eating behavior. So, in men, guilt after overeating or improper eating occurs only in 4 percent of cases. And for women - at 20. This is despite the fact that the body mass index of 75 percent of the men we interviewed is above the norm. And for women, this figure is much lower - only 50 percent. nine0007

Simply put, men worry about overeating and weight almost five times less than women. Accordingly, dietary depression occurs less frequently.

— What are some signs that a person may suspect dietary depression?

- The first "sign" is actually your reaction to the diet.

And then - "classics of the genre." Lethargy, apathy, increased tearfulness. Bad mood, irritability. Unwillingness, and sometimes inability to work or study. Rapid fatigue, sleep disturbances. Problems with the stomach and intestines. The main “symptom” is that life does not bring joy and pleasure. And the person gradually sinks into the "cocoon" of depression, withdraws into himself. nine0007

— How can you lose weight without becoming depressed?

- Depression is not an obligatory weight loss companion. We are all different. There are people whose genotype is initially more adapted to stress. And they are unlikely to face depressive manifestations.

In some cases, depression can be provoked by the weight loss format itself. I mean group psychological trainings for weight loss. For people who adapt to stress faster and easier, such therapy is justified. But those who have difficulty adapting to new conditions, difficulties, suffer more with this approach to losing weight. Their weight is reduced more slowly. And instead of reaching for the group, the person, on the contrary, “slows down”. Gradually falling from this into a depressive state. nine0007

And so my main advice is that in order to “prevent” dietary depression, you need to lose weight consciously. Ideally, under the supervision of a specialist. Perhaps not even one.

Let's say a nutritionist who will take care of your diet and body. A nutritionist who will tell you what supplements to include on the menu. And a psychotherapist who monitors your emotions and psychological reactions.

But such an ideal is hardly achievable. But to be aware of the problem is quite achievable. Before you start losing weight, go through a medical examination. Find out and weigh not only the advantages of possible harmony, but also the risks. nine0007

Listen carefully to yourself, your organism, your body. If even the most wonderful food system makes you feel bad all the time, think about whether it is yours.

As a rule, successful weight loss without depression is the result of a conscious choice. When you understand all the cons that await along the way. If there is understanding, there are ways to minimize the negative. And successfully lose weight, while not "rolling" into depression.

Marina Fokina

Reference

Published at source: March 19, 2018

Zozhnik | Is diet soda harmful?

Zozhnik translated an article by the independent research organization Examine.com on "Is Diet Soda Bad for Your Health?"

To date, there are no studies that prove an association between diet soda consumption and long-term health risks.

Diet sodas (defined as no-calorie or low-calorie carbonated drinks sweetened with aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, or other low-calorie sweeteners) are not harmful to a person's health, well-being, or appearance. Moreover, there is no evidence that soda consumption interferes with weight loss or increases insulin to a level that would be detrimental to our health. nine0007

In recent studies that have attempted to link soda consumption to health problems, participants consumed varying amounts of calories. At the same time, it is the consumption of excess calories that has a direct relationship with the development of many diseases. Moreover, one study that found a negative relationship between soda consumption and health status clearly described:

distorted due to the connection with the lifestyle and nutrition, as well as the demographic characteristics of the participants in the experiments. nine0114

There are only a few biological mechanisms that can explain the link between soda consumption and health risks. These mechanisms are mainly centered around artificial sweeteners in drinks/solid foods that increase cravings for high-calorie foods/drinks and foods containing sugar.
Moreover, these mechanisms can interfere with people's ability to accurately estimate both the caloric intake of a single meal and the remaining energy allowance that a person has calculated for weight loss/maintenance. nine0114

Therefore, diet soda consumption may lead to excessive calorie intake, which will lead to weight gain and subsequent metabolic disorders.” sweets and high-calorie foods, which can lead to overeating and, in the long run, to weight gain.

All studies known to date have confirmed the safety of the sweeteners found in diet sodas. Preliminary findings suggest that when a person's diet is controlled (doesn't overeat on sweets or overeat in calories), diet soda is a safe drink. nine0007

At the same time, many people on a sparse diet are opting for diet sodas instead of high-sugar drinks in an attempt to reduce the damage to their health. As a result, this leads to the wrong conclusion that it is soda that leads to diseases, when in fact the root of the problem lies precisely in poor nutrition.

But I have read / read studies that talk about the dangers of soda!

You have most likely read survey or observational (epidemiological) studies that are conducted to find potential correlations (relationships) between two variables. The data obtained in the course of these studies are not reliable and exhaustive, but serve as a foundation for future experiments.

There are many studies on the harms of soda that have been conducted in people with diseases, while until recently there was not a single study in which scientists compared people who ate the same food. In one of the studies (the North Manhattan experiment), which took into account factors such as gender, age, caloric intake, BJ distribution, smoking, etc. Scientists have found a weak link between diet soda consumption and negative cardiovascular outcomes. However, as soon as the scientists considered the presence of diseases from which the participants suffered even before the start of the experiment, this connection disappeared. nine0007

In addition, when diet soda is compared with another low-calorie drink in experimental studies (more reliable than observational studies), and the calorie content of the participants' diet is controlled by scientists, there is no difference in weight loss between participants. This again suggests that the problems are likely not due to consumption of diet soda per se, but due to other eating habits in people who drink it. nine0007

By the way, the longitudinal study of San Antonio residents, which is sometimes cited as an argument about the association of soda with an increase in waist circumference, is also observational, that is, it lacks strength. - Ed.

And yet, do sodas have frank disadvantages?

More than one study has found that the consumption of any soda is associated with poor dental health, especially in children. While sugar (sucrose) plays a major role in this, the general acidity of diet sodas can also negatively affect dental health. Excess consumption of carbonated drinks without proper dental support can lead to cavities and yellowing of the teeth; this applies to drinks that are high in sugar as well as diet sodas, albeit to a lesser extent. nine0007

Examine.com Researchers Conclusion:

There is currently no conclusive evidence that diet sodas are harmful to our health or make us gain weight. Moreover, even the assumption that soda consumption provokes overeating is ambiguous (there are conflicting data in the literature on this). To date, the only proven negative effect of soda consumption is tooth decay. nine0007

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