A woman who recently celebrated her 104th birthday has revealed the secret to her long life.
Theresa Rowley, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, reached the whopping birthday on 1 January and says it’s all thanks to fizzy pop. Well, sugarless fizzy pop.
According to Rowley, we should all be drinking a can of Diet Coke per day.
She told local station WZZM:
When I was 100, I thought I’d never be 104. Then I turn 101, and nothing happens… Here I am 104, and still nothing happens.
I drink it because I like it. I’m going shopping Wednesday and I need more Diet Coke.
I have a bag full of empty Diet Coke cans that I need to return to buy more Diet Coke.
Diet Coke was only brought out in 1982, when the care home resident was 68, so it’s unlikely it’s been a contribution?
WZZMDoctors especially would disagree with Rowley’s praise of the drink. Here’s some science stuff to freak you out in case you’re considering investing in a lifetime stock of Diet Coke…
According to Health, Diet Coke can lead to greater weight gain than those who don’t drink it, and more serious problems such as diabetes.
They write:
When taken at face value, diet soda seems like a health-conscious choice. It saves you the 140-plus calories you’d find in a sugary soft drink while still satisfying your urge for something sweet with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose. But there’s more to this chemical cocktail than meets the eye.
Diet soda is calorie-free, but it won’t necessarily help you lose weight. Researchers from the University of Texas found that over the course of about a decade, diet soda drinkers had a 70% greater increase in waist circumference compared with non-drinkers. And get this: participants who slurped down two or more sodas a day experienced a 500% greater increase.
The way artificial sweeteners confuse the body may play a part, but another reason might be psychological, says Minnesota-based dietitian Cassie Bjork. When you know you’re not consuming any liquid calories, it might be easier to justify that double cheeseburger or extra slice of pizza.
WZZMSpeaking about diabetes and the nutritional value of Diet Coke, they add:
Drinking one diet soda a day was associated with a 36% increased risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes in a University of Minnesota study. Metabolic syndrome describes a cluster of conditions (including high blood pressure, elevated glucose levels, raised cholesterol, and large waist circumference) that put people at high risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, Bjork explains.
When you drink diet soda, you’re not taking in any calories—but you’re also not swallowing anything that does your body any good, either. The best no-calorie beverage? Plain old water, says Bjork. “Water is essential for many of our bodily processes, so replacing it with diet soda is a negative thing,” she says. If it’s the fizziness you crave, try sparkling water.
Mate, have you ever tried sparkling water? I have and only because I accidentally bought it. Maybe I’ll cool it with the Diet Coke’s though?
