Diabetes & Diet Soda - Should I Have It?

People with type 2 diabetes have to watch what they eat. Minimizing consumption of sugary foods and carbohydrate-laden snacks is one part of a healthy, diabetes-friendly meal plan. For people with diabetes, diet soda can often be a temptation. But is it safe for diabetics?

There have been a number of studies about the effects of diet soda on people with diabetes:

• One 8-year study at the University of Texas showed that participants who drank several cans of diet pop per day were more likely to become overweight than participants who drank several cans of regular pop per day.

  Being overweight is a major risk factor for diabetes, and losing weight for people who are already diabetic is recommended. Excess weight leads to increased insulin resistance.

• Another study found that diabetic adults who had one or more diet sodas per day had an A1C level 0.7% higher than those who didn't drink any soda at all. The A1C test, or glycated hemoglobin test, gives you an average of your blood sugar levels over the past 2 to 3 months and shows how well your diabetes is managed. The higher the A1C level, the higher the blood sugar.

• A 6000-adult study, published in the American Heart Association journal, found that people who drank one or more diet or regular sodas (didn't matter which type) were at higher for metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome includes risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, such as excess abdominal fat, high blood pressure, and low levels of HDL (the "good cholesterol").

The above studies can only suggest that for people with diabetes, diet soda may not be a good choice. If you still choose to indulge once in a while, just remember that diet soda still has an impact on your health, so talk to your dietitian for advice on including it in your meal plan. The best drink choice of all? Just plain water!