If I gave you a can of rat poison, would you drink it? What if I told you that every time you opened a can of diet soda, that's what you would drink? I'm sure some of you here really like diet soda, but you drink it anyway because you don't think the ingredients in soda will ever harm you. Diet soda contains many different ingredients, including some that are very harmful to your health and can lead to death. Today we will look at all the dangerous ingredients in diet soda, some of the side effects that diet soda will cause, and some illnesses and complications you may develop. First, the main ingredients in diet soda and why they are so bad. The main ingredients found in diet soda are aspartame and saccharin. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener and is a protein produced from aspartic acid. Aspartame is used in several foods and drinks because it is around 200 times sweeter than sugar, so this means that much less can be used to give the same amount of sweetness. When aspartame is digested, it breaks down into aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. These components are also used in a selection of foods such as milk, meat, dried beans, fruits and vegetables, but much larger quantities are used in diet soda. Another reason why aspartame is terrible for you is that when aspartame reaches a certain temperature it is known as rat poison. Additionally, 10% of aspartame is made up of a methyl ester bond that includes methanol. After a few hours of taking aspartame, this methanol is released from the aspartame and begins to wander around the body through the blood. After the methyl ester is cleaved, it separates into methyl alcohol. The problem with this methanol is that it easily passes through the blood… middle of paper, the calories in saccharin can easily reach the placenta and then the fetus. It is very harmful to the baby and when it is born it can cause muscle dysfunction. Additionally, breastfeeding mothers should not drink saccharin because it can be passed from mother to baby through milk. I have talked about some of the harmful ingredients in Diet Soda, some of the side effects of Diet Soda, and some important diseases and complications found in aspartame and saccharin. Although many people think that diet soda is better than regular soda, it actually contains harmful ingredients that can lead to serious health problems and death. You may also think that diet soda will make you lose weight, but trust me, it won't. The information I presented today shows you why you need to stop drinking diet soda forever and only drink water.