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University Tries out Ban on Sweetened Beverages

  • November 07, 2016

In an attempt to limit the amount of added sugars in students’ drinks, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have persuaded every vendor on campus to stop selling sugar-sweetened beverages, CNN Health reports.

It’s a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t go far enough because they can still sell so-called “diet” beverages on campus. CNN said diet sodas weren’t banned because there “isn’t enough evidence” that they cause glucose intolerance to ban them. But I digress: There is PLENTY of evidence of harm done to your body by diet drinks.

Research shows that people who drank diet soda had a 70 percent greater increase in waist size in a 10-year period compared to non-diet soda drinkers, with occasional diet soda drinkers adding an average of 1.83 inches to their girth, while daily drinkers gained an average of 3.2 inches!

This is serious when you understand that obesity is associated with 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S., and that drinking just one diet soda a day may raise your risk of obesity by 65 percent. Diet soda consumption is also linked to a 50 percent increased risk for stroke. This alone makes it clear artificial sweeteners aren’t helping you, and may even make you sicker if you are overweight.

For safer sweetener options, use stevia or Luo Han. But if you struggle with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or extra weight, it’s best to avoid ALL sweeteners and choose clean, pure filtered water, tea or coffee instead.