It seems natural to enjoy a fizzy diet soda with your order of warm, crispy fries. However, combining the two could cause neurological damage that may interrupt the body's process for metabolizing sugar, Inverse reports. Dana Small, a researcher at Yale University, found that the combination of carbohydrates and sugar substitute sucralose can lead to a host of serious health problems. It causes what Small compared to a "circuit change" in the cerebrum, damaging the brain'sl communication systems. It's not clear whether the brain has the capacity to correct this change, so it's worth knowing the risks, and maybe consider never ordering this drink with your French fries again.
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00:00Washing down the saltiness of an order of warm, crispy french fries with a fizzy diet soda
00:05might seriously satisfy your taste buds in the moment, but there might be a major
00:09problem with doing so. Enjoying the two together appears to actually lead to
00:12legitimate neurological damage that may disrupt the body's natural processes for metabolizing
00:17sugar. The combination of french fries and diet soda may sound harmless on paper and
00:21taste delicious in your mouth, but a small study run by Yale University-based researcher Dana Small
00:26found that ingesting sucralose and carbohydrates at the same time can confuse the brain,
00:31rendering it ineffective when it comes to telling the body how to properly metabolize sugar and
00:35ultimately leading to a host of serious health problems. Wait, sucralose? Yes, that's a common
00:40artificial sweetener found in many diet sodas. You may have also seen it under the brand name
00:44Splenda. Small likened the effect that artificial sugars like sucralose can have on the brain when
00:49consumed alongside carbohydrate-rich foods, such as french fries or pizza, to a circuit change
00:54within the cerebrum as the brain's natural communication systems within the body become
00:58damaged. And with no certainty on whether the brain has the capacity to eventually correct
01:02itself from this change or not, it is important to know the risks involved on drinking a diet
01:06bubbly fountain drink alongside greasy fries. Delicious greasy fries.
01:11There are several sacred things in this world that you don't ever mess with.
01:17One of them happens to be another man's fries.
01:20A serving of diet soda may seem like the health-conscious choice for a consumer looking
01:24to lower sugar and calorie intake, as the word diet implies health-conscious ingredients.
01:28Not only does sucralose have less calories than regular sugar, it's also sweeter,
01:32meaning that, in theory, you can use less of it for the same result. One can of Diet Coke,
01:36for example, boasts zero calories and no sugar, compared to regular Coke's 140 calories and 30
01:42grams of sugar. Still, studies suggest that the artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas
01:46can do more harm than good. According to the National Library of Medicine,
01:50some of the most common artificial sweeteners found in diet sodas are aspartame, cyclamates,
01:55saccharin, and sucralose. And every mainstream soda manufacturer, from Coke to Pepsi to Sprite,
02:00offers a diet or light variation of their most popular bubbly beverages.
02:04As reported by Harvard Health, one study found that drinking diet soda daily
02:08can increase the consumer's risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 67 percent.
02:12The same study also found a 36 percent higher chance of developing a metabolic disorder and
02:17an increased chance of weight gain, which seems like the opposite outcome diet soda drinkers are
02:21likely hoping for. According to Healthline, individuals who ingest diet sodas are also
02:25subject to increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease — not exactly
02:30what we think of when we think healthy. In addition to the health risks posed by the artificial
02:34sugars found in diet soda, it is important to consider what happens when carbs are consumed
02:38alone. Two processes happen within the body when carbohydrates are ingested. First, blood sugar and
02:43insulin levels go up. Then the insulin transports the excess glucose into your body's cells to be
02:47used as fuel, which in turn brings blood sugar levels back down to normal. When you introduce
02:52sucralose to the mix, however, the combination of the two substances causes the brain to change how
02:56the body interacts with the insulin responsible for lowering glucose levels. The cells can become
03:01resistant to insulin, and with it still having an overflow of glucose that has nowhere to go,
03:05the brain can trigger the body into producing more insulin in an attempt to return to blood
03:09sugar balance. When this process is continuously repeated, it puts the body at a higher risk for
03:14developing type 2 diabetes, as well as accelerates weight gain. To avoid the health risks that come
03:18with consuming carbohydrates and diet soda simultaneously, Health Digest says it is best
03:22to drink the diet soda by itself and limit carb intake to one hour before you gulp down the
03:27artificially sweetened beverage and one hour after. This gives the body enough time to process the
03:31sucralose without affecting how it interacts with the brain during a carb-induced rise in blood sugar.