Diet soda is gaining popularity, but should you reach for it over regular soda?

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Diet soda is becoming more popular as people enjoy its taste and low-calorie benefits, even as studies raise concerns about artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

Ellen Nagle from Fort Myers expressed her preference, saying, "Oh, definitely. I would never drink a regular soda, ever."

For many, the lack of calories is a significant draw.

"I prefer the diet brands, because they're lower in calories, so I don't feel as guilty," Nagle said. Alejandra Ortiz, a type-one diabetic, finds diet soda essential, explaining, "Being a type one diabetic, it's kind of hard to manage the sugar spikes when I do have a regular soda, even if I give myself the amount of insulin necessary. There's really no way to avoid my sugar just skyrocketing."

However, concerns arise from studies indicating that diet soda's artificial sweetener, aspartame, can lead to health issues. Mary Garcia said, "I like the regular soda, and I, I do when I hear about that, it's like, I'm not going to drink that."

To explore the health implications, Erika Graziani, the outpatient nutrition program coordinator at Lee Health, provided insights. "I think what got the big sort of uproar is that the World Health Organization had come out a couple things. They had said that they didn't support, really the use of diet sodas," she said. Graziani emphasized the importance of considering multiple studies, stating, "What are all the other experts also saying. As long as these types of sweeteners are not consumed above those sort of limits that they set are considered safe."

Graziani noted that consuming large amounts of aspartame could be harmful, but added, "It would be equivalent to like drinking 21 cans a day, and your average person is not." She concluded that moderation is crucial, saying, "You're trying to make health improvements, you're trying to reduce the sugar, at least trying to incorporate maybe some of those diet ones certainly can be a better thing."

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