Is it Harmful to Drink Soda While Pregnant? (2 of 5)

Some pregnant women feel that for the sake of caution, they’ll forgo coffee and soda until after they’ve delivered. Also remember that caffeine comes from other sources too, including chocolate and green tea.

What about the effects of sugar on pregnancies?

Let’s be honest: whether you’re pregnant or not, drinking sugary sodas is never a great idea. They contain nothing but chemicals and empty calories with no nutritional benefits. When you’re pregnant, you would want to maximize the nutrition your growing baby is receiving. If you have gestational diabetes, you would want to avoid soda for your own health, never mind your child’s. You can develop high blood pressure and permanent Type 2 diabetes post-birth. It’s also possible that your baby could be born heavier than they should, which could result in health problems that affect them for the rest of their lives.

What about artificial sweeteners?

Saccharin (like what’s found in Sweet ‘N Low) is a no-go because it definitely gets absorbed and there just aren’t enough studies to determine how it affects a fetus. Aspartame, acesulfame-K, and sucralose (Splenda) all have a bad rap, but the FDA believes they are safe for otherwise healthy people. The exception is if you have phenylketonuria, in which your body is unable to properly process phenylalanine, an amino acid found in aspartame. There is also a study that suggests that diet sodas can hinder a child’s motor, visual, and spatial abilities. However, the data was self-reported and the sample was not random, and therefore it cannot be considered scientifically reliable.