Diet Soda or Regular Soda: Which Option Is Better for Blood Sugar?

If you like soda but are concerned about blood sugar or liver health, choosing diet soda may seem like an easy alternative. Because diet soda contains little to no sugar, it usually does not cause the kind of blood sugar spike associated with regular soda. The picture is less certain, however, when it comes to liver health.

Here’s what the research suggests about each choice and what to keep in mind before opening your next can.

Diet Soda Is Better for Blood Sugar

If blood sugar is your main concern, diet soda is the better short-term choice.

Regular soda contains a large amount of added sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, which is absorbed quickly after drinking.

• Sugar, or fructose, is rapidly digested and enters the bloodstream, which can cause blood sugar to rise sharply.

• In response, the pancreas releases insulin, a hormone that moves sugar out of the blood and into cells, where it can be used for energy or stored for later.

• People with insulin resistance, in which cells do not respond properly to insulin, may experience even larger spikes. The pancreas then produces more insulin to bring blood sugar down, which can further burden metabolism. High intake of sugar-sweetened drinks has been linked to insulin resistance, raising the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Diet sodas contain little to no sugar. They are usually sweetened with artificial or non-nutritive sweeteners such as aspartame or sucralose, which do not raise blood sugar levels. Because of that, diet soda generally does not produce the same rapid increase in blood sugar or insulin.

Diet Soda Could Still Raise Health Concerns

Even so, the long-term impact of artificial sweeteners is still not fully understood. Some studies suggest that regular diet soda consumption may affect appetite, the gut microbiome, or insulin sensitivity, which could indirectly influence blood sugar and metabolic health.

Some research has found that both regular soda and diet soda are associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

In general, diet soda can help avoid short-term blood sugar spikes, but drinking soda every day in any form may still affect metabolic health over time.

Neither Diet nor Regular Soda Is Ideal for the Liver

The high sugar content in regular soda is associated with fat buildup in the liver, but some evidence suggests diet soda may not be completely harmless for liver health either.

One reason regular soda is especially concerning is its fructose content. Fructose is processed mainly by the liver, and when too much is consumed, it can be converted into fat.

Over time, this process may contribute to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, formerly called fatty liver disease. MASLD develops when excess fat accumulates in the liver and may progress to inflammation, scarring, and serious liver damage.

However, some research now indicates that diet soda may also carry some liver-related risks:

• Studies have linked both regular and artificially sweetened sodas with liver inflammation and fat buildup compared with little or no intake.

• In a large study presented at a medical conference, people who drank more sugar-sweetened beverages had a higher risk of MASLD. The same study also reported a higher risk among people who regularly consumed low- or no-sugar drinks such as diet soda, although those findings came from an unpublished conference report.

These studies are observational, so they cannot prove cause and effect. Still, they point to a possible association between frequent soda intake of any kind and liver disease risk.

Other Factors to Consider

Nutrition Comparison

This comparison uses Coca-Cola products as an example. Calories, sugar content, and the type of artificial sweetener can vary by brand.

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