Diet Soda Drinkers Suffer Kidney Damage

[Capetan Mihali]

NEW YORK (CBS) ―  Study: Diet Soda Drinkers Suffer Kidney Problems

Even though a lot of folks try to stick to water these days, it's not tough to find die-hard diet soda drinkers.
Lien Pollio admits to how many times a day she partakes of the diet beverage: "Three times, lunch, dinner and nighttime."

"Probably about two 20-ounces a day depending on whether or not I'm tired," said Kelly Fox, another diet soda drinker.

And Sharilee Hill said, "I used to drink Diet Redbull but then I switched to Diet Mountain Dew. We drink a lot of it."

However, one study examined more than 3,000 women for 11 years, and found those who drank two or more diet sodas a day were at double the risk for kidney damage, CBS station WCBS-TV reports.

The researchers did not learn whether it was the soda or the artificial sweetener in the drink that caused the damage.

"You can't conclude that the sodas caused this problem conclusively but it suggests that there's an affect on kidney function so people have to be aware that there's a possible issue in doing anything in excess," said Dr. David Goldfarb, kidney specialist with NYU Langone Medical Center.

Goldfarb said this is one of the first studies on the effects of diet soda.. and a lot more needs to be done before people make drastic changes. "They should not be throwing out their diet soda at this point but like I said I think moderating their intake of diet soda is a reasonable thing to do."

The diet soda lovers we found said say the study is interesting but they plan to keep on chugging their favorite drink.

"There are so many other things that we can do that are a lot worse for us so we figure, if that's our only vice we're doing good," said Katie Blanch.

Two ladies said they've run five marathons in the last 6 months, so they're balancing things out with lots of exercise.

Diet soda is one of those things that I can easily go crazy on.  Drinking a 16oz can of Diet Shasta Cola as we speak.   

I guess diet is going to have be included in the great Soda Tax as well.

[Josquius]

Red bull is deadly. I can't imagine it working in diet form though. Isn't the point of it to fill it with lots of sugar?

[Habbaku]

[Eddie Teach]

I prefer my sweet flavored toxins with real sugar.

[Capetan Mihali]

I prefer my sweet flavored toxins with real sugar.

So you only drink Mexican soda?   

[Sahib]

Meh. They are studies about everything causing everything.

[KRonn]

Sheesh... I drink diet soda, the ones with aspertame, usually at most one a day. This is pretty worrisome, maybe anyway. Have to see more studies or what ever, to find if this actually turns out to be valid at all, or how damaging.

[Fate]

Aspartame (the main flavor component of diet coke) is metabolized fairly quickly into phenylalanine and aspartic acid. These are two of the essential amino acids (i.e. you'd drop dead without them). I sincerely doubt they're the cause of abnormal kidney damage versus non-diet drinking population.

I'd love to hear their biochemical justification behind the theory...

[Capetan Mihali]

Fuck it, I'm lighting up another Shasta for the road.  It's cheaper than food and nobody lives for ever anyways.

[Eddie Teach]

I prefer my sweet flavored toxins with real sugar.

So you only drink Mexican soda?   

Touche. I meant high fructose corn syrup. 

[Admiral Yi]

So you only drink Mexican soda?   

heh

[MadBurgerMaker]

So you only drink Mexican soda?   

Jew soda too.

[Capetan Mihali]

So you only drink Mexican soda?   

Jew soda too.

  Dr. Brown's uses corn syrup.   



Sure could go for a nice celery tonic right now.

[Capetan Mihali]

In other news, Shasta uses Splenda.  And after drinking two Big Value cans, it is giving me: [ed anger] loose stool [/ed anger].   

[MadBurgerMaker]

Celery soda?  Holy shit. 

I mean that kosher Coke stuff they put out for Passover.  Yellow cap = sugary goodness.    They also sell Mexican Coke down here for when the Jews aren't celebrating whatever that is.