My son wants to drink diet soda daily

[quintessentone]

Hi all.

So my son(14) , says that a dail diet soda is perfectlly fine to drink , that there's no long-term health consequences.
I'm not sure I agree. I've tried to keep his soda consumption to a minimum (except when it's Ollipop) .

So is it okay to drink a can of diet soda a day?
Are there any trustworthy sources that say it's fine etc?

Thanks!

The citric acid levels in diet soda are in low concentrations, but if he doesn't rinse his mouth with water after drinking the soda frequently he is inviting tooth enamel erosion over time, this also applies to drinking coffee, fruit juice, sports drinks, flavored sparking water and/or any other acidic drinks.

"Direct acid attack: Hydrogen ions (H⁺) from citric acid lower the pH in the mouth, protonating phosphate and carbonate groups in the enamel’s hydroxyapatite structure. This weakens the crystal lattice and leads to demineralization, especially when pH drops below 5.5—the critical threshold for enamel dissolution.
 

• Chelation: The citrate ion binds to calcium ions in enamel, actively pulling them out of the mineral structure. This enhances erosion beyond what low pH alone would cause, making citric acid more damaging than other acids of similar strength."
  

https://scienceinsights.org/is-citric-ac...our-teeth/

"Diet Sodas: Typically have a pH between 3.0 and 3.2, with some (like Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi) measuring around 3.10 and 3.02, respectively.  These are acidic due to phosphoric acid and carbonation, which generate carbonic acid.  Despite having no sugar, their high acidity can still erode tooth enamel over time." (LLM source comparing acidity between diet soda vs ginger ale)

Having said that, my daughter just informed me that they can now regrow enamel on teeth but it's not yet available to the public. Also I just noticed you said your son is 14 years old - that age has all kids trying to flex their foothold into adulthood while still having one toe in the waters of still being a dependent child - I think the best course of action is for both of you to discuss the negative health effects and come to a middle ground, perhaps with him simply rinsing his mouth with water after drinking acidic drinks.

Some people also use regular non-diet and diet soda to clean their toilet bowls because soda has other acid compounds, in addition to citric acid, which can dissolve minerals, rust etc. So imagine what it does to one's stomach lining over time as well.