If you are one of those who usually drinks a soft drink in its sugar-free versions, perhaps more than once you had the doubt of whether the “Zero” or the “Light” version was better – or healthier -.
In this context, Canadian-based nutritionist Abbey Sharp, who is known for talking about nutrition on television, in addition to being a YouTuber and TikToker, analyzed Coca-Cola Zero and Diet to solve the enigma.
While the Light drink has been around since the 1980s, the Zero version is somewhat more recent, dating back to 2005. Their flavors are similar, although those who drink it regularly claim that the Light is less sweet. The truth is that both do not contain sugar or calories.
“The ingredients in both drinks are surprisingly similar,” said Sharp, assuring that the Zero version was introduced for a marketing issue, to be able to sell it to men, because the light version was traditionally bought by women.
“Both have aspartame (sweetener), caffeine and caramel coloring, etc. The key difference is that Diet Coke is sweetened exclusively with aspartame, while Coke Zero also has another sweetener called acesulfame potassium or Ace-K,” he indicated.
Both are characterized by being 200 times sweeter than sugar, allowing very small amounts to be used to sweeten drinks.
Is the Zero or Light drink really better than the other?
The nutritionist assured that both sweeteners are considered “poisons” by the medical community, food regulatory entities consider them “safe” if consumed in moderate quantities.
“Overall, I’m not worried about any of these sweeteners, although I prefer not to take the risk specifically during pregnancy with Ace-K because it has been shown to cross the placenta.”he claimed.
The other key difference is the caffeine content, he said, since Diet Coke has 46 milligrams of caffeine per 350 ml, and Coca-Cola Zero only 34 milligrams.
But then which one do you recommend? Sharp stated that “Honestly, diet drinks are not healthy foods.”and “They should not be treated any differently than regular high-sugar soft drinks.”
“They don’t really add anything to the diet, except maybe some pleasure and a little energy. “Light, zero, regular, whatever, if you are going to drink soda, choose the one you like the most and enjoy it in moderation,” he claimed.
@abbeyskitchen Diet, zero, regular, whatever, if you’re going to drink soda, choose the one you love the most and enjoy it in moderation. #dietsoda #dietcoke #cokezero #foodfreedom #dietitiansoftiktok #aspartame ♬ original sound – Abbey Sharp
Organizations and studies call for consuming artificial sweeteners in moderation
However, last year, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization, declared that aspartame used in products such as Coca-Cola are “possibly carcinogenic.” for humans”.
But the FDA said it disagreed, noting that it “does not mean that aspartame is actually linked to cancer,” and that the acceptable daily intake is up to 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight each day.
It should be noted that in July of last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) together with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans in category 2B.
The latter means that it is in the penultimate step of the IARC Identification Scale. This corresponds to a low level, where it is specified that the evidence is limited in humans.
Along the same lines, the WHO and the FAO clarified that it is not harmful if consumed in the recommended doses, which they established at 40 mg/kg of body weight, per day.
Another study published in the academic journal Cell in 2022, indicated that in general artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, stevia or sucralose, can produce adverse effects on the microbiome, which would cause blood sugar levels to increase.
The key is moderation.
