Soda Myths You Probably Believed

Come on, really? How can this be a myth? It says "diet" right in the name, so of course something that's lower in sugar and calories is going to be better for you ... right?

Not exactly. According to Healthline, the only real difference between regular and diet soda is what's used for sweetness. In diet sodas, you're drinking something artificial like aspartame or saccharin, and there's more and more evidence that suggests this isn't a good thing.

Studies have linked diet soda consumption with instances of diabetes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke, and even liver problems, but just what is going on here isn't clear. Experts say that other lifestyle factors often present in the same people who tend to choose diet sodas — like a sedentary lifestyle and obesity — might be the cause and diet soda consumption is just a marker.

But that's not the whole story, either. Some research suggests that a diet soda habit might contribute to chronic inflammation, and that can lead to all kinds of health issues like heart disease, asthma, and even certain types of cancer. It's also possible that diet sodas impact the reward centers of the brain and cause your cravings for real sugar (which you're not actually getting in diet sodas, remember) to skyrocket, which isn't what you want when you're trying to get healthy.

Quick, what is it about soda that's so bad? It's the sugar and the empty calories, right? Sure, that's part of it, but some studies have suggested that the carbonation is bad for you, too — but not in the way you might think.

In 2017, researchers at Birzeit University looked at the impact of fizz on hunger. When they gave rats either tap water, a flat (but sugary) drink, or a fizzy (and still sugary) drink, the rats that drank the fizz ended up with more of the hormone ghrelin in their blood — and that's the hormone that makes you hungry. Ever had a can of soda at your desk, then later realized you were also super hungry? That fizz might be why. 

The BBC did the same experiment on people and found that the results were similar. Not only were ghrelin levels higher in people who had fizzy drinks, but they also had the volunteers keep a food diary during the experiment. On average, fizzy-drink-drinkers ate around 120 calories more than those that had non-carbonated drinks. Who would have thought that fizz might be bad for your weight loss attempts too?

You might know someone who's trying to cut back on their soda habit, and at a glance, it might seem like anything else you're trying to eat less of: Just don't buy it. Drink something else. Easy, right?

Not so fast. According to Ohio State University neuroscientist Gary Wenk (via CNN), soda has the perfect amount of caffeine, carbonation, and sweetener to trigger the release of dopamine in the brain. He explained: "The sugar in the drinks ... swish through the brain, you get the dopamine rewarding you, and then the effect of the dopamine surge is gone almost as fast as it arrived, leaving your brain wanting more."

If you think that sounds like a recipe for addiction, you're absolutely right. Healthline says that soda addiction — or at least, dependency — is a very real thing, and it's characterized by strong cravings, a preoccupation with your next soda break, and difficulty in reaching for another beverage option ... even though you know you probably should. So it's definitely a myth that this stuff is easy to put down. Since there are so many bad side effects, they say that soda dependency is definitely something that should be broken — and in some cases, some individuals might need to seek professional help to break the cycle of daily sodas.

You've probably heard this myth a million times: It's important to stay hydrated, and soda isn't going to do that for you. There are even claims that drinking too much soda can have the opposite effect and dehydrate you. But here's some good news for soda lovers: That's just not true.

According to Cooking Light, the reasoning behind the claim is that most soda contains caffeine, and caffeine is a diuretic. But experts say that sure, you might not retain as much fluid as you would if you just drank water, but you're not going to end up with a fluid loss because you're reaching for a can of Pepsi. You're still getting fluids, even though what comes along with those fluids might not make it the best choice.

Because of the sugar and calories in soda, it's not highly recommended for regular consumption, but if you're feeling dehydrated or super thirsty and soda is all you have at hand, it's definitely not going to do you any harm, hydration-wise. (And as a footnote, the same is true of sparkling water — the rumors you've heard that carbonated water can't hydrate you as well as still water are also complete bunk. You're welcome, LaCroix lovers!)

Before you open a can of soda, do you rinse it? Or at least wipe it off? If you do, that's possibly because you've heard those cans can sit in warehouses for a while, and there's probably rats crawling all over them, and you know rats don't use toilets, right? Do you want to catch something by putting your mouth on that can where rats have peed and pooped?

Aside from the fact that that's pretty gross, is it possible? Or just a myth?

According to Snopes, it's entirely possible for someone to contract an illness called Leptospirosis by being exposed to the urine of rats who are carrying the disease. But when they looked at the claims that people have gotten sick from drinking out of urine-covered soda cans, the whole thing just kind of falls apart. Those people and those incidents just don't exist, as far as experts can tell. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say they were unable to verify the stories in various emails, like the one about the stock clerk who was exposed to hantavirus. That same email warns readers to wash their soda cans, but here's the thing: When cans are sitting in warehouses, they're usually packaged in cardboard boxes. And it makes sense, because, well, you wouldn't want to try to move loose cans of soda with a forklift, right?

Here's an oldie but a goodie, and when it comes to soda myths, we wouldn't feel like we've been complete without addressing this one: It's the story of LIFE cereal's Little Mikey, who died after eating Pop Rocks and drinking soda.

No, he absolutely didn't, says Snopes. The actor who portrayed him, John Gilchrist, has spent years trying to convince people that he didn't die after a lethal dose of Pop Rocks and soda. And it's a rumor that's been going around for a long time — friends, neighbors, and acquaintances have even called his mother with condolences!

The worry about Pop Rocks was real, and the FDA even set up a telephone hotline for worried parents to call and confirm that no, there was no danger their kids were going to choke on the carbonated candy. Rumors about the deadly combination go back to at least 1979, and even though General Foods has tried everything, this is one urban legend that just doesn't seem to want to go away.

Here's an example of one of those myths that the media can blow out of proportion. In 2013, headlines ran with the results of a study done by the National Institutes of Health. They found that drinking soda was associated with an increased risk of depression, and that led to the widespread rumor that soda causes depression. But NYU professor of nutrition Dr. Lisa Young says (via The Huffington Post) that's not actually what the study found.

She says that an association is not the same as a cause: "I'm not a fan of diet soda, but I don't think it's the soda alone that's causing depression. The thing about soda is, you don't often drink it alone — you drink it with junk food. You're not getting enough fiber and protein with that sugar, and your blood sugar not being stable could throw off your mood."

She also suggests that those who drink a ton of soda might be making other lifestyle choices that aren't the best for them, and that's all piling on someone's shoulders. The Smithsonian puts it this way: There's a huge difference between "the chemicals in soda cause changes in the brain that result in depression" and "people who suffer from depression tend to prefer the dopamine rush of a sugary soda." See the difference?