Is Coke Zero Bad?

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I just had my first ever Coke Zero. Why? I’ve always hated aspartame but I wanted to see how it impacted blood sugar. Funny thing is… I didn’t hate the taste, was actually pretty good (I grew up HATING anything with aspartame). In this post I cover: does Coke Zero raise blood sugar and is it bad for you?

Does Coke Zero (aspartame) raise blood sugar?

No, (for me) the aspartame did not impact blood sugar (even a little). I’m wearing a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) to test – I’ve got a post explaining what that means. Here’s a look at when I drank the Coke and its impact. Note: it had been several hours since I had eaten anything and I was not particularly active. I’ve found that I can mitigate blood sugar spikes in high carb foods by eating protein and fat prior to the carbs and if I’m active I tend to utilize the carbohydrate (blood sugar) very quickly. Neither of those elements were present so this was a good reading (via CGM).

The (1) represents the exact time I drank the Coke Zero Sugar. And as you can see, there was no significant impact to blood sugar.

My personal view: Coke Zero would not contribute to diabetes risk. There are confounding studies on both sides of that view. My take: studies that ask a question like “do you drink diet soda” are not going to be able to provide a full picture of all dietary decisions by participants – not a fan.

In my N=1 study (just me) Coke Zero had no impact on blood sugar.

A Possible Danger? Asparatame

Aspartame is one of the most popular artificial sweeteners available. Aspartame is also known as: NutraSweet and Equal. Aspartame is approved by the FDA but…

“The California Environmental Protection Agency and others have urged that independent scientists conduct new animal studies to resolve the cancer question. In 2005, researchers at the Ramazzini Foundation in Bologna, Italy, conducted the first such study. The study found that rats exposed to aspartame starting at eight weeks of age and continuing through their entire lifetimes developed lymphomas, leukemias, and other tumors, including kidney tumors, which are extremely rare in the strain of rat used. In 2007, the same researchers published a follow-up study that exposed rats to aspartame beginning in the womb and continuing through their entire lifetimes. That study, too, found that aspartame caused leukemias/lymphomas, as well as mammary (breast) cancer. Then in 2010, they published a study that exposed mice to aspartame, starting in the womb and continuing throughout their entire lifetimes. That third study found that aspartame caused liver and lung cancer in male mice.”

Meanwhile, the most careful long-term study of aspartame in humans, conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, found the first human evidence that aspartame poses a slightly increased cancer risk to men, but not women. The researchers speculated that that might be due to the fact that men have higher levels of an enzyme that converts methanol (a breakdown product of aspartame) to formaldehyde, a human carcinogen. The Harvard study couldn’t prove that aspartame was a carcinogen, but it certainly added to the safety concerns, especially since the cancers observed in the human study (multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma) were similar to the cancers observed in two of the three animal studies (leukemias and lymphomas). Another study by researchers with the American Cancer Society, not quite as large as the Harvard study, did not find any link.

A recent review of all of the evidence by the scientists who conducted the three positive animal studies urges governments to re-examine their positions on aspartame, and recommends that pregnant women and children not consume aspartame.

– Center for Science in the Public Interest

I just don’t think there’s enough data to point the finger at Aspartame as causing any obvious health risks.

Read these posts if you’re interested in knowing more about…

Artificial sweeteners

• Do Artificial Sweeteners Hurt the Human Microbiome?
• Do Artificial Sweeteners Raise Insulin?

Let’s review a few common questions about this artificial sweetener:

Can diabetics drink Coke Zero?

Yes, diabetics can drink Coke Zero. Coke Zero is a sugar-free, low-calorie carbonated beverage that does not contain any sugar or carbohydrates. This makes it a suitable option for people with diabetes who need to carefully manage their intake of sugar and carbohydrates.

Does Coke Zero raise blood sugar?

No, Coke Zero does not raise blood sugar levels. Coke Zero is a sugar-free, low-calorie carbonated beverage that does not contain any sugar or carbohydrates. This means that it will not cause a spike in blood sugar levels the way that regular soda or other sugary beverages can.

Does Coke Zero have sugar?

No, Coke Zero does not contain any sugar. Coke Zero is a sugar-free, low-calorie carbonated beverage that is specifically designed to be a healthier alternative to regular soda. While regular soda is loaded with sugar, Coke Zero is completely sugar-free, which makes it a suitable option for people who are trying to reduce their intake of sugar and calories.

Does coke zero spike insulin?

No, Coke Zero does not spike insulin levels. Coke Zero is a sugar-free, low-calorie carbonated beverage that does not contain any sugar or carbohydrates. This means that it will not cause a spike in insulin levels the way that regular soda or other sugary beverages can.

Does coke zero have Aspartame?

Yes, Coke Zero contains aspartame. Coke Zero is a sugar-free, low-calorie carbonated beverage that is sweetened with a combination of aspartame and acesulfame potassium. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is commonly used in sugar-free and low-calorie food and beverage products. It is about 200 times sweeter than sugar, so only a very small amount is needed to sweeten Coke Zero.

In Summary

• Coke Zero IS NOT responsible for causing diabetes
• Coke Zero DOES NOT raise blood sugar in most (if not all) individuals
• If drinking Coke Zero helps you to stop consuming drinks loaded with sugar, drink it!

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