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Last night on the Biggest Loser, the editor in chief of Prevention Magazine asked the contestants the following question about diet soda and it’s link to Insulin Resistance.

Question: “True or False? Switching from regular soda to diet soda will help you live longer.”

Answer: “False. Regular and Diet soda can more than double your risk for Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic Syndrome is a cluster of conditions that include high blood pressure, insulin resistance and belly fat.”

Now, I’m not one to believe everything I hear on TV, so thanks to my TiVo I rewound this segment several times, listened carefully and decided to research this myself.  Is Biggest Loser and Prevention Magazine correct in making this statement?  Let’s look at the actual research.

A 2007 study published by the American Heart Association and conducted by the Framingham Heart Study  compared the effects of regular and diet soda on Metabolic Syndrome.  This study concluded the following:

• Obesity, high blood pressure, glucose intolerance, low HDL-C, and hypertriglyceridemia was significantly higher in those who consumed a greater number of soft drinks per day (regular or diet).
• Drinking one or more regular or diet soft drink per day shows a 50% + higher rate of metabolic syndrome compared to people who drank less than 1 (regular or diet) soft drink per week.
• The insulin resistance risks from drinking regular soda were only slightly higher than the risks for diet soda.
• Risks increased gradually for those consuming 1 to 6 diet or regular soft drinks per week to those who drank one or more soft drinks per day (diet or regular).

What can we conclude from this research study?  Well, first off, Prevention Magazine and Biggest Loser are telling the truth based on this study. Diet soda is NOT a good substitute for regular soda. This research also asks us to wonder “if sugar is to not blame, what is really causing these elevated risks for insulin resistance?” Unfortunately the jury is still out on that answer.

If we are even at the slightest risk for Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin Resistance, let’s all put that diet soda back on the shelf at the store and replace it with healthier alternatives like water or iced green tea (no sugar, of course).