Most of us still consume soda in one form or another, regardless of how often we are warned about its negative effects or how often our parents advised us to “drink water instead” when we were younger.

In recent years, a lot of us have actually resorted to diet soda, which is a substitute that is ostensibly less harmful to your health but still helps to satisfy your craving. Although research is still in its early stages, it appears that the safest course of action may be to completely give up soda because of the numerous reports that suggest the chemicals in diet soda can be just as harmful to your body.

Unconvinced? Not totally, I wasn’t either. That is, until I came across a list of physical changes that occur when you quit drinking diet soda. Are you interested? Continue reading to learn how cutting it out could change your body.

Many times, we believe that choosing a cold beverage with little to no sugar will help us avoid the “greater evil” of a typical one. Research, however, indicates that this might not be a wise choice either.

Products that are advertised as “healthy” can occasionally conceal additional information that would detract from their appeal.

Therefore, continue reading if you are a health-conscious person who prefers to be aware of what they are putting into their body.

1. A decrease in cravings for sugar
You could be forgiven for believing that diet sodas don’t influence your sugar cravings because the majority of them use aspartame instead of actual sugar.

False. Aspartame actually increases your desire for sugar because it raises your insulin levels. “The taste of sweet does cause the release of insulin, which lowers blood sugar, and if carbohydrates are not consumed, it causes a drop in blood sugar, which triggers hunger and cravings for sugar,” says Dr. Melina Jampolis, a diet and fitness expert.

2. Overall, fewer food cravings
Diet soda may be causing you to crave more than just sugar. It actually causes you to yearn for much more.

According to nutritionist Isabel Smith, artificial sweeteners have an impact on our feelings of fullness. When we consume something extremely sweet, our bodies have [evolved] to anticipate consuming a significant number of calories, and those artificial sweeteners are 400–8,000 times sweeter than sugar.

She goes on: “Hormones are released and the muscles in your stomach relax so you can absorb food.” “Wait a minute, you told me you were going to give me all this high-calorie food,” your body tells you when artificial sweeteners are used. Some people may become dissatisfied and start looking for more food as a result.

In essence, your body looks for high-calorie foods that can provide it with what it wants when it doesn’t get what it was hoping for.

3. It’s possible that you could reduce your weight.
Weight loss is typically the reason for switching from regular soda to diet soda. However, drinking diet soda can actually make it very difficult to lose weight because of bloat and the cravings mentioned above. It’s probably best to avoid diet sodas completely because studies have shown that they can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

4. You’ll sample more cuisine.
Over time, the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas actually overpower your taste buds, preventing them from fully enjoying the variety of flavors they once might have been able to.

Giving up diet sodas will therefore cause a change in your taste buds, including an increased awareness of how sweet food actually is. I’m not sure what would motivate me if that wasn’t it.

5. You can strengthen your immune system.
It is now thought by researchers that diet sodas alter your metabolism in addition to your cravings and sugar intake.

Isabel Smith claims that diet sodas can alter how your body processes everything, including your immune system and blood sugar, as well as the “healthy gut bacteria.”

6. Bones that are stronger
Although the exact cause is still being investigated, studies have revealed that consuming just one diet soda daily can raise your risk of hip fracture by 14%.

Cutting out soda may help you have healthier bones because there is a known link between heavy soda drinkers and decreased bone density.

7. You won’t get intoxicated as quickly.
This is only for people who mix alcoholic beverages with diet soda.

You may find that you get intoxicated more quickly than your friends if you do this. Your blood alcohol level rises as a result of the diet soda’s faster passage through your system than that of regular soda, which leaves you with only the alcohol.

You might be able to party for longer if you move to other options. It has never been a negative thing.

8. Better kidney health
The importance of optimal kidney function should be obvious. It is only fitting that we alert you to the fact that the ingredients in diet soda can be very harmful to your kidneys.

Your body should be able to eliminate toxins and stabilize blood sugar levels more effectively once your kidneys aren’t burdened with having to process all those complex ingredients.

That has definitely opened my eyes quite a bit. Why not try reducing your intake of diet soda to see how it affects your body? If that doesn’t seem possible, try cutting back on your drinking with the goal of permanently quitting.