Yahoo Lifestyle Is Diet Coke Really Getting Banned?
Late last year, rumors began circulating of an alleged Diet Coke ban. In a viral post, which appeared to come from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new president's choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services, appears to vow to prohibit consumption of the soda beginning January 20.
While Reuters and other outlets quickly debunked the theory as nothing more than a parody post from a fake account, consumers still worried that RFK Jr.'s stance on food additives and chemicals could threaten the fate of Diet Coke on store shelves."If they really ban Diet Coke I’ll probably have to check myself into some kind of program," one user wrote on X. "What if they do actually ban diet coke like how could i possibly survive that," another chimed in on the platform.
Now, however, we finally have a resolution. In an opening statement during his Senate confirmation, Kennedy Jr. shot down the idea of a ban on Diet Coke—or fast food, for that matter.
"We need to use—deploy—the [National Institute of Health] and FDA to doing the research to understand the relationship between these different food additives and chronic diseases so that Americans understand it," he said during the hearing, before clarifying that a ban was not part of his plan.
"If you like a McDonald's cheeseburger and a Diet Coke, which my boss loves, you should be able to get them. If you want to eat Hostess Twinkies, you should be able to do that. But you should know what the impacts are on your family and on your health," RFK Jr. added.
While Diet Coke isn't exactly touted as a health beverage, there is some good news. Despite previous reports tying the drink's artificial sweetener aspartame to cancer, the World Health Organization found "limited evidence" linking the two. Registered dietitian and nutritionist Lauren Manaker also tells Delish that while drinking the soda every day isn't the "best" health practice, she says it isn't the "worst" either.
"Will having one Diet Coke per day result in detrimental effects, especially if the rest of the day is filled with water drinking and balanced-diet eating? Unlikely."
Shall we celebrate with an ice cold DC?!?!
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