Is Diet Coke Harmful during Pregnancy?

Posted on April 14, 2008 in Pregnancy Diet

Diet coke and pregnancy: Are you pregnant and confused about the consumption of diet coke during your pregnancy phase?? Consumption of diet coke during pregnancy is one the most doubtful issues. There are no strong evidences to support the fatal effects of diet coke during pregnancy on fetus or mother. Still it is advisable for you to stop drinking diet coke during your entire pregnancy phase to be on a safer side.

Aspartame, sweetener present in the diet coke is the main reason for concern. Research study shows that this ingredient can be harmful for both mother and the developing fetus. Regular consumption of diet coke can lead to fatal or severe side effects. It is better to completely avoid diet coke during pregnancy. But in case you are unable to control the temptation then drink it in moderation.

Why Diet Coke is Harmful during Pregnancy?

Aspartame is the main sweetening agent in diet coke. Commonly this artificial sweetener or aspartame is known as “NutraSweet.” Aspartame is a zero calorie sweetener. Aspartame is not only used as sweetening agent in diet coke but it is also used in different diet foods and sodas. The question arises: How can a zero calorie sweetener be harmful or fatal?

Research study on aspartame shows that when it is stored at 20º C, it becomes poisonous. Basically temperatures equal or above 20º C, aspartame breaks down to a toxic substance known as formaldehyde. And the body temperature of a pregnant woman ranges between 37.8º C to 38º C. Hence at such high temperature excessive aspartame may lead to formaldehyde poisoning.

What are the Effects of Diet Coke on Pregnancy?

As discussed above aspartame converts to poisonous formaldehyde at 20 º C. Hence there are chances that diet coke might show severe effects during pregnancy. Some of the possible side effects of diet coke consumption during pregnancy are listed below:

Consumption of diet coke during pregnancy might also lead to fatal disease like cancer.

Being pregnant you need to take extra care of your diet. You need to give first preference to your health and of your developing fetus. Hence you need to plan your diet carefully for safe and healthy pregnancy. In case of any doubt or confusion it is better to consult your gynecologist.

Source: During Pregnancy, Is Diet Coke Harmful or Not?, Diet Coke and Pregnancy

Comments

3 Responses to “Is Diet Coke Harmful during Pregnancy?”

  1. Harriett S. on April 14th, 2008 1:14 pm

    Diet Coke is harmful at any time, not just when one is pregnant

  2. John E. Garst, Ph.D. (Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicology) on April 15th, 2008 3:54 pm

    This is the same old ignorant diatribe on the part of antiaspartame critics that the FDA and all conventional science have dismissed for twenty years. See snopes.com for the facts about this irrational conspiracy theory. Dr Roberts whole argument, which stemmed from the original Searle studies, is based on now clearly disproven facts.

    Here is the truth again: Aspartame is perfectly safe used as directed in healthy people. There are no studies to the contrary. And those that even claim to provide questions have been blown away. For example, Soffritti et al in 2006 and 2007 reported that aspartame caused leukemia, lymphoma, and mammary cancer in their rodents. They didn’t even do their experiments correctly; I revealed this to the world last month at the Society of Toxicology meeting in Seattle. Here is the mistake even a high school science fair student could appreciate. Aspartame is hydrolyzed to methanol and two peptides in the GI tract. Methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formate. These substances can and do react with and deplete the vitamin folate. Guess what, they did in Soffritti’s experiments, because they did not provide any additional folate to compensate for that natural process in rats, Moreover, the rats they used are also both known susceptible to rat leukemia virus and known to develop folate issues as they age. And Soffritti et al did a “lifetime” rat study guaranteed to develop those aging issues and provide misleading results. You cannot use their simple control versus treated design for studies of aspartame, because that will deplete folate. And folate deficiency causes leukemia, lymphoma, and mammary cancer amongst many other cancers and tumor types. If the experiment had been done correctly, they would have used a control, aspartame fed (treated at various concentrations) rats, and folate supplemented aspartame fed (treated at various concentrations) rats.

    But guess what? Nobody has ever done the experiments correctly including even the original Searle studies, And those studies are what the antiaspartame critics like Roberts cite as proof of a problem. There was no problem; adequate folate should remove all effects (the same is likely true for the myaspartameexperiment.com study too), so the antiaspartame critics have been arguing nonsense for twenty years based on now clearly wrong information.

    Aspartame is perfectly safe used as directed in people who are healthy and not folate deficient. If that was the so called pill you cite, it is because 400 micrograms per day of folate is required to compensate for natural loss, from many sources including antibiotics, etc. But many people are deficient. That is the real discovery here. Folate deficiency is widespread amongst the population. Only folate supplements provide the answer, because natural food sources are simply insufficient to provide adequate folate. People who do not take folate supplements are at risk for many folate deficiency diseases including leukemia, lymphoma, breast cancer and more. And these diseases have nothing whatsoever to do with aspartame. FYI, 80% of women don’t use folate supplements correctly.

    John E. Garst, Ph.D. (Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicology)

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