Diet Soda and Ketosis

Coke or Pepsi. Mountain dew, Root Beer, Dr Pepper, Fanta, Big Gulp. There's no denying America's love of sodas.

A 2012 Gallop poll revealed that 48 percent of Americans surveyed drink soda on a daily basis. What’s more, among those who drank soda, the average daily intake was a massive 2.6 glasses per day. Soda is regularly attributed to the growing obesity epidemic in the US.

Zero-sugar sodas like Coke Life, Diet Dr Pepper and Pepsi Light, taken at face value seem like a health-conscious choice. The calorie saving from 'full fat' to 'diet' is often 99% whilst still satisfying your urge for something sweet with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose.

But can diet sodas hurt your diet even if the calorie content is 0?

With so much conflicting information, we asked our Nutritional Expert, Ashley English, to clarify exactly what this means for your diet.

What Do Diet Sodas Contain?

Instead of sugar, diet sodas are sweetened with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin, acesulfame-k or sucralose. Many also contain citric acid, used to add tartness, signature flavor and to lengthen the shelf life of the beverage.

Do Diet Sodas Affect Ketosis?

The theory that citric acid consumption inhibits ketosis is not clear cut.

It is thought citric acid may affect ketosis by impacting metabolism within the liver, primarily during the Krebs Cycle (Citric Acid Cycle) which citric acid is an intermediate of.

Some people have reported that while they have seen citric acid consumption prevent them entering ketosis and increase appetite, they have not seen it impact ketosis once it has been established.

What Does This Mean For Me?

Every body is different, in size, shape and sensitivity to certain foods.

Even if avoiding citric acid, establishing and maintaining ketosis varies from person to person and it is important for the individual to determine their threshold and establish whether citric acid has any effect on ketosis, appetite or fat loss on a ketogenic diet.

Ultimately, if you have to drink soda the diet version is often better, but we would suggest exante Boost - our weight loss drink. Our delicious weight loss drink mix is low-calorie, sugar-free, and gives you more energy with a blend of green tea and caffeine.