Diet Coke was introduced in 1982 as an alternative to Tab soda. Diet Coke was eventually supposed to replace Tab as The Coca-Cola Company’s signature diet cola beverage. However, Tab stuck around for quite some time. It wasn’t until 2020 that Coke discontinued Tab despite the dismay of some.
The sweetener of choice at the beginning of Diet Coke’s existence was a mix of aspartame and saccharin. There was no sugar in the original formula. However, does Diet Coke have sugar today? Read on to find out…
Is There Sugar in Diet Coke?
Diet Coke made today has no sugar. It is sweetened with aspartame, an artificial sweetener. This sweetener was created in 1965 and is now in thousands of foods and beverages. It’s made with the amino acids phenylalanine and aspartic acid.
Aspartame is stated to be safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Furthermore, there have been over 200 studies conducted that support the safety of aspartame, according to Food Insight.
Nevertheless, some people believe there may be a link between aspartame and cancer. However, the research does not support a valid connection.
Diet Coke’s ingredients found on Diet Coke’s website confirm the use of aspartame and not sugar as its sweetener:
Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Caramel Color, Aspartame, Phosphoric Acid, Potassium Benzoate (To Protect Taste), Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Caffeine.
Diet Coke Nutrition
The nutrition facts for a can of Diet Coke are reflected below. You can see that there is zero sugar since no sugar is used as an ingredient. Furthermore, if Diet Coke contained sugar, the nutrition data would show a positive number greater than zero for carbs and calories since sugar has both.
| Serving Size | 12 fl. oz. |
| Calories | 0 |
| Total Fat | 0g |
| Sodium | 40mg |
| Total Carbs | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Protein | 0g |
Sources:
- dietcoke.com
- Diet Coke. National Museum of American History. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_880981#:~:text=The%20Coca%2DCola%20Company%20introduced,that%20was%20produced%20in%201963
- O’Mullane, M., Stanley, G., & Fields, B. (2014). Science Direct. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/aspartame
