Dr. Pepper is one of the most popular soda brands in the US, and many consumers consider the diet version to be healthier than the original version. The brand's website proudly proclaims that "A satisfying diet drink does exist!"
But what's actually in Diet Dr. Pepper? Does it contain any ingredients shown in research studies to be unhealthy? How does the healthiness of Diet Dr. Pepper compare to original Dr. Pepper? And how do real users rate and describe the taste and health effects of Diet Dr. Pepper?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Diet Dr. Pepper to give our take on whether or not it's bad for you, and whether or not it's a healthier choice than original Dr. Pepper.
We'll also feature real Diet Dr. Pepper customer reviews.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Diet Dr. Pepper are shown above.
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that has been shown in animal studies to cause cancer.
Phosphoric acid is clinically shown to be associated with lower blood calcium levels, as we discussed in our Starry Soda reviews article.
Natural and artificial flavors are used as flavoring agents, and artificial flavors were shown in a 2018 clinical trial to be toxic to animals.
Sodium benzoate is a preservative that "can cause disturbed behavior in children" according to a medical review published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood journal.
Overall, we consider Diet Dr. Pepper to be bad for you.
It provides essentially no nutritional value, and contains several compounds which are clinically shown to be unhealthy (at least in animals).
Diet Dr. Pepper vs. Dr. Pepper Original
The ingredients in Dr. Pepper Original are shown above.
High fructose corn syrup (rather than aspartame) as used as a sweetener.
All of the other ingredients are the same.
High fructose corn syrup has negative effects on the metabolism according to a 2017 medical review.
It also increases the risk for obesity even more than other caloric sweeteners, as we documented in our is AriZona Green Tea good for you article.
Overall, we consider Diet Dr. Pepper to be healthier than Dr. Pepper Original, particularly for overweight or obese individuals, due to the potentially obesogenic effects of high fructose corn syrup.
Real People Try Diet Dr. Pepper
A popular YouTube creator and self-described "Dr Pepper Enthusiast" taste-tested Dr. Pepper Original and four similar drinks (including Diet Dr. Pepper) in a video with over 1.6 million views:
A TikTok creator named "Brett's Bites" explains why she likes Diet Dr. Pepper
@brettsbites In my diet dr pepper era
♬ original sound - Brett’s Bites
Our Healthy Soda Pick
Olipop is our healthy soda pick.
This natural soda uses no flavoring additives or refined sugar, and is instead flavored with nutritionally-rich botanical ingredients like mandarin juice (which is clinically shown to be a potent antioxidant), nopal cactus and calendula flower.
The cans have only 2 to 5 g of added sugar from natural sources like cassava root syrup and apple juice.
