Nutrition For Mortals Is Diet Soda Bad For You?
Jun 28, 2023
A lively dive into the history of diet soda from its 1950s medical roots to modern marketing. They walk through past sweetener scares and the science that followed. Major cancer and health claims are examined alongside limits of observational studies. Practical takeaways about safety, risk interpretation, and personal choice round out the discussion.
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Origin Story Of Diet Soda
- NoCal was invented in 1952 by Hyman Kirsch to provide sugar-free drinks for diabetics at his Jewish Sanitarium.
- Early ads pitched NoCal as medicinal and festive, and it was sold near medicines in stores, illustrating its medical origins.
How Food Additive Law Changed Safety Rules
- The 1958 Food Additives Amendment reversed a 'presumed safe' approach and required FDA approval before additives could be used.
- It also mandated banning additives shown to cause cancer in humans or animals, shaping later cyclamate policy.
TV Footage That Triggered The Cyclamate Panic
- In 1969 FDA scientist Jacqueline Verrett showed deformed chicken embryos on NBC after injections with cyclamates, triggering panic.
- Abbott Labs then reported rat bladder tumors after high-dose saccharin/cyclamate, leading to cyclamate's US ban.