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Diet Coke probably isn't a cognitive performance enhancer

dynomight.net

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Re: Diet Coke probably isn't a cognitive performance enhancer

#121

Post by oldgradstudent »

tppiotrowski wrote: post #38
dwaite wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect this is to try to quantitatively match the stimulant effect of caffiene plus sugar/HFCS in the sweetened alternatives.

Am I the only one that experiences sugar as a depressant? Eating high glycemic index foods makes me lethargic and sleepy. I've never experienced a "sugar high". I also don't have diabetes as my blood sugar level is within norm during routine physicals.

Could potentially be reactive hypoglycemia:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expe...

It could occur even if fasting blood glucose is still at normal levels.

Re: Diet Coke probably isn't a cognitive performance enhancer

#122

Post by oldgradstudent »

dwaite wrote: post #13
algoatecorn wrote: post #3

Fun fact: Diet Coke has 34% more caffeine than regular Coke https://www.coca-colacompany.com/faqs/what-is-caffeine#:~:te... .

I suspect this is to try to quantitatively match the stimulant effect of caffiene plus sugar/HFCS in the sweetened alternatives.

Coke Zero, on the other hand, has the same amount of caffeine as regular Coke, which makes me doubt this hypothesis.

Re: Diet Coke probably isn't a cognitive performance enhancer

#123

Post by cryptoanon »

tppiotrowski wrote: post #38
dwaite wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect this is to try to quantitatively match the stimulant effect of caffiene plus sugar/HFCS in the sweetened alternatives.

Am I the only one that experiences sugar as a depressant? Eating high glycemic index foods makes me lethargic and sleepy. I've never experienced a "sugar high". I also don't have diabetes as my blood sugar level is within norm during routine physicals.

Do you have ADHD? That's the typical reaction to stimulants.

Re: Diet Coke probably isn't a cognitive performance enhancer

#124

Post by ksaj »

tppiotrowski wrote: post #38
dwaite wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect this is to try to quantitatively match the stimulant effect of caffiene plus sugar/HFCS in the sweetened alternatives.

Am I the only one that experiences sugar as a depressant? Eating high glycemic index foods makes me lethargic and sleepy. I've never experienced a "sugar high". I also don't have diabetes as my blood sugar level is within norm during routine physicals.

There is the well-known "sugar crash" but it sounds like you basically start the crash without any of the energy boost.

Re: Diet Coke probably isn't a cognitive performance enhancer

#125

Post by bradlys »

amelius wrote: post #57

I found out that when I stop drinking Diet Coke, I get depression symptoms. (Reproduced three times now). It must have something to do with the aspartame in it. When I take DLPA pills (a breakdown product of aspartame), the depression goes away quite fast. Drinking a can or two of Diet Coke also does the trick.

Try caffeine free and see if it persists. I drink caffeine free.

I’ll be going on a multi month purge from it though. Water only for a few months. It’ll be brutal especially because I have high standards for water. (And most water tastes terrible)

Re: Diet Coke probably isn't a cognitive performance enhancer

#126

Post by gilmore606 »

gardenhedge wrote: post #15
mlyle wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They really do, but if you power a couple down in substitute for lunch and aren't tempted to snack, then it can be an OK thing to do.

They should be used as a supplement and not a substitute.

Why? I've been drinking a 250cal protein shake for lunch almost every day for years. When will I die?

Re: Diet Coke probably isn't a cognitive performance enhancer

#128

Post by musicale »

astrange wrote: post #101
sydthrowaway wrote: post #82

Calories in vs calories out is a myth. How do diet sodas affect insulin response? Not well I suspect.

“Calories in vs calories out” is a restatement of the second law of thermodynamics and must be true.

Unfortunately calories out is excessively variable, as are hunger and energy, which affect calories in.

Re: Diet Coke probably isn't a cognitive performance enhancer

#129

Post by QuarterReptile »

sydthrowaway wrote: post #82

Calories in vs calories out is a myth. How do diet sodas affect insulin response? Not well I suspect.

'Calories in vs calories out' is more meme than myth. It's both true and nearly worthless to aid anyone in weight loss because it's not the thing anyone is confounded by.

Re: Diet Coke probably isn't a cognitive performance enhancer

#130

Post by kortex »

The original impetus seems to be from this tweet:

https://mobile.twitter.com/AaronBergman18/status/15273336157...

> 12oz Diet Coke contains 100mg phenylalanine, which is an indirect precursor to dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain.

If "leads to dopamine eventually via some pathway" were sufficient for dopamine, hoo boy, the field of psychopharmacology would look radically different. Would certainly make treating ADHD and Parkinson's way easier (and schizophrenia and mania way harder).

Or, y'know, it's the caffeine. Especially since it doesn't cause the sugar spike/crash like regular soft drinks.

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