What if diet soda isn’t helping us lose weight?

Welcome back to One Day Better, where I share small steps that can help make today just a little better than yesterday. This week, I’m writing about:

• The failed promise of diet soda

• That awful “infinite workday” study

• Joyscrolling!

What if diet soda isn’t helping us lose weight?

I remember growing up watching my mother drink TaB as part of her many restrictive diets. For those who don’t remember it, TaB was the original diet soda from Coca-Cola. (It reportedly was named TaB because it helped you keep “tabs” on your weight. Ugh!) That was just the beginning. Globally, people today spend more than $5 billion a year on diet drinks.

But diet sodas are a failed promise of the beverage industry. New science continues to challenge the purported benefits of zero-calorie, artificially sweetened drinks. The research suggests that our addiction to diet soda isn’t helping us lose weight or manage diabetes, and may actually be contributing to weight gain and a higher risk of diabetes.

If you’re reading this while drinking your fourth Diet Coke of the day, I understand. I was a Diet Coke addict for years and only kicked the habit during the pandemic, when the build up of cans and bottles in my home made me realize how much I was consuming. A trip to the cardiologist for a racing heart — caused by too much caffeine — sealed the deal for me. But even then, it was extremely difficult to give up diet soda.

Three significant studies have dropped in the past few months that challenged the notion that diet drinks support weight and diabetes management. They found that:

• Water is better for weight loss and diabetes control: Research presented last week at the American Diabetes Association annual meeting showed that in an 18-month study, women with diabetes who replaced diet soda with water lost more weight and were twice as likely to achieve diabetes remission. Those who switched to water lost about 6.8 kilograms (15 pounds) versus 4.9 kg (11 pounds). Most notably, 90% of the women in the water group went into diabetes remission, compared to just 45% in the diet soda group.

• Diet drinks linked to higher risk of diabetes: The results of a 30-year study found that people who drank the most diet beverages or saccharin had more than double the risk (129% higher) of developing type 2 diabetes compared to low consumers.

• Diet drinks may make us crave sweets: A March study found that sucralose, an artificial sweetener, increased activity in the brain’s hunger center more than sugar or water, potentially increasing appetite by confusing the brain’s response to sweetness.

None of this research has received much attention. The latest study on water, diet soda and diabetes is so striking to me. Both beverages have zero calories, so why would the water group lose more weight and have better diabetes remission? The research strongly supports concerns that diet soda is having a greater impact on the body beyond calories.

Health authorities including the World Health Organization have also been raising concerns about serious long-term risks of artificial sweeteners, mostly related to cancer. (Anahad O’Connor had a great FAQ on the topic.)

I’ve been a health writer for years, and I personally ignored those worries. I just wasn’t convinced there was strong evidence that Diet Coke was raising my cancer risk. I did know that being overweight was raising my cancer risk, so I kept drinking diet soda. And some research does show that for people with obesity, diet beverages are a better choice for weight management than sugary sodas. (Those same studies consistently show that water is still the best option.)

But now science makes a pretty convincing case that diet beverages wreak havoc on the brain’s hunger signals, making us want to eat more — not less. And the case for plain water as the healthiest option is incredibly strong.

You may decide after reading this that you really enjoy a cold Diet Coke or Coke Zero and you don’t want to give it up. That’s your choice, and none of us should take on the role of food police. But we should hold food companies accountable for promoting and advertising products that don’t work as promised and — when used as directed — may cause harm.

Some extra reading:

Zero weight loss from zero calorie drinks? Say it ain't so. This article from Harvard Health highlights emerging research suggesting that even zero calorie carbonated beverages — like diet soda and sparkling water — may stimulate hunger hormones and potentially contribute to weight gain.

What happens when you drink too much diet soda? This article from Zoe, a nutrition study and testing program, discusses the effects of diet soda on your gut microbiome.

Big food’s big tobacco moment: This Fortune commentary by Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive Global, discusses the mounting legal, scientific and cultural pressure on makers of ultra-processed foods.

Coping with the “infinite workday”

Earlier this month there was a lot of attention given to Microsoft’s new “Infinite workday” report. The name alone sounds terrible. The report found that the traditional 9-to-5 workday has largely disappeared, replaced by an "infinite workday" where knowledge workers are bombarded with pings every 1.75 minutes, attend late-night meetings, and routinely work early mornings and weekends. Axios has a good take on the study here.

The report reminded me of a parable about work and rest shared by Simon Sinek (perhaps most famous for his viral TED Talk on finding your “why”).

As Sinek tells the story, two lumberjacks start and finish chopping wood at the same time every day. But one of the lumberjacks disappears for an hour in the middle of the day. Even so, at the end of the day, the disappearing lumberjack has chopped more wood than the non-stop lumberjack. This goes on for months. One day the non-stop lumberjack asks: “Every day you disappear for an hour in the middle of the day. And everyday you chop more wood than me. Where do you go for that hour?” And the other lumberjack responds, “I go home and sharpen my axe!”

Let’s all take more time to sharpen our axes. Watch Sinek tell the story here.

Joy scroll with me!

Here’s my weekly roundup of good news and interesting links to counteract the gloom.

Dad texts: In case you missed it, this was a sweet story in the NYT about the texts sent by our fathers. Read it here.

Try the sitting-rising test: I’m not sure this will bring you joy but it sure is interesting. FYI I can’t do the test from the floor, but I can, thankfully, pass the sit-rise test from a chair. Read more here.

A shelter dog’s hidden talent: At a Virginia adoption event, a shelter dog named Sienna unexpectedly alerted a man to an oncoming seizure. “We did not know that she had this ability,” said one volunteer. Read more here.

Talented high schoolers: The nation’s singing high schoolers gathered for the Jimmy Awards competition. Meet the two winners and watch their winning performances. Read and watch here.

Spot the puppies: The Denali Sled Dog Puppy Cam is live. Watch it here.

Drinking glass debate: Wide brim or narrow? The WSJ has research with answers. (We apparently prefer wide brims.) Read more here.

The best weekender bag: I have one of these bags made from old sails, and I like it! Learn more here.

4-ingredient crab cakes: I love a simple ingredient list. The four ingredients are lump crabmeat, mayo, lemon juice and saltines. There’s a bit of a cheat here. The ingredient tally is really six — the headline writer isn’t counting salt and Old Bay seasoning as ingredients. There’s also a sauce with more ingredients, but still worth a look if you like crab cakes. Get the recipe here.

Thanks for reading, and see you next week. Let’s keep the conversation going! Send me your comments and ideas. Drop a note in our subscriber chat or message me directly on Substack!

Every week, the One Day Better newsletter celebrates the power of small steps. If you enjoyed reading, please share it with a friend. This newsletter is free and reader-supported. If you’d like to support my work, you can make a contribution here.

Tara Parker-Pope, MPH is an Emmy Award–winning journalist who shared in the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. She has an MPH from the Yale School of Public Health and is now the Chief Content Officer at Thrive Global. This newsletter represents her personal views. Learn more at taraparkerpope.com.