Diet Coke fans warned over new evidence it may 'increase risk of silent killer’

01 August 2023 , 19:01

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Diet Coke is a sugar-free, low-calorie soft drink (Image: Getty Images)

Diet alternatives to full-fat drinks could increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, scientists have warned today.

Experts are now concerned that additives are very unhealthy replacements for sugar because, in June, research showed they can cause cancer. World Health Organization (WHO) said it is to soon classify aspartame as "possibly carcinogenic to humans".

Now fans of fizzy alternatives, such as Diet Coke, have been dealt a further blow as a new study, published in the Diabetes Journal, found people who consumed artificial sweeteners were more at risk for type 2 diabetes compared with those who didn't. Such sweeteners include aspartame, saccharin and stevia.

Scientists have discouraged the consumption of "diet" alternatives and instead recommended unsweetened foods and drinks, and foods with naturally occurring sugars, such as fruit. The researchers wrote: "The findings strengthen evidence that these additives may not be safe sugar alternatives. [It also] provides important insights in the context of ongoing worldwide reevaluation of artificial sweeteners by health authorities."

The French scientists analysed the diets and health of 105,588 people for nine years. By the end of the study, 972 participants had developed type 2 diabetes. The experts found those who consumed between 16 and 18mg of artificial sweeteners per day had a 69 per cent higher chance of developing the condition than those who ate less.

Warning as popular food and drink ‘increase risk of cancer death by up to 30%’

While those who ate and drank aspartame-containing products specifically had a 63 per cent higher chance of developing the disease. A separate report from the organisation’s Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JEFCA) ruled existing daily limits on aspartame are safe.

These are around 40mg per kg of body weight — between nine and 14 cans — per day. It means that if you weigh 11st (70kg), you can safely consume up to 14 cans of Diet Coke daily.

But independent experts said this doesn’t mean people should aim to drink that amount, as it can cause other problems, including teeth erosion. Dr Duane Mellor, of Aston University, told The Sun: "To be clear this is not a recommendation to consume. High intakes of any soft drinks, including diet versions containing sweeteners is likely to lead to less healthy foods being consumed."

Many people have type 2 diabetes without realising. This is because symptoms do not necessarily make you feel unwell.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:

• peeing more than usual, particularly at night
• feeling thirsty all the time
• feeling very tired
• losing weight without trying to
• itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush
• cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
• blurred vision

You're more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you:

• are over 40 (or 25 for south Asian people)
• have a close relative with diabetes (such as a parent, brother or sister)
• are overweight or obese
• are of Asian, African-Caribbean or black African origin (even if you were born in the UK)

Bradley Jolly