Remember last week we told you what your body goes through during the hour after you've drank a can of coke?
Well in a move that we're 100% sure hasn't just been done to take advantage of the success of the last article, TheRenegadePharmacist has published another article, this time detailing the effects a can of Diet Coke has on your body during the hour after you've consumed it. As with the first one, the results are a little grim for those of us drink a couple of cans a week.
Still, at the risk of upsetting all the health nuts out there, can we not just leave Coke alone?
We know the stuff isn't the most healthy thing in the world, but we like it, and it's not like we're drinking 28 cans of the stuff a day. We're going to keep drinking it, as part of a relatively balanced diet that also includes kale, broccoli, and egg whites, as well as chips, chicken fillet rolls, and packets and packets of crisps, because the meals not over when I'm full, it's over when I hate myself.
Moderation people, learn to love it.
The first 10 minutes
It tricks your taste buds and attacks your teeth. The phosphoric acid attacks the enamel in your teeth, while the artificial sweeteners like aspartame hit your system. Aspartame may trigger taste receptors and tricks your body into thinking it has just had processed sugar.
>20 minutes
Can switch on fat storage mode. Like regular Coke this can trigger insulin, which sends your body into fat storage mode. Data from a number of studies, including Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study also reported greater risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
>40 minutes
Can cause addiction. The potentially deadly combination of caffeine and aspartame creates a short addictive high similar in the way cocaine works. Excitotoxins are released which may exhaust your brains by overstimulating its neuroreceptors, especially if consumed on your regular basis.
>60 minutes and beyond
Can deplete nutrients, make you hungry and thirsty for more.
Unlike the small amount of satisfaction you get from regular Coke, your body may still crave sweets. This makes you likely to reach for another soda, or worse, some other junk food you consider to be safe and the cycle continues.