# Coke Zero the same as Coke? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [April 19, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222 "2012-04-19T00:10:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/41 "2012-04-19T17:32:47Z")
We’ve replaced the cola Dopers usually drink with a mixture of sulfuric acid and rhinoceros blood. Let’s see what happens … Sometimes, when I’m expecting one thing and drink another, like expecting Sprite but given club soda, I can tell right away. It’s almost a shock. But if I’m expecting RC and am served Shasta cola, it might take a few sips. Sure, something is off, I may say, but it might take a while to figure it out. And if it came from a soda fountain instead of a can/bottle/jug, I might even reason that the mix is just off. I have got myself a Coke as a Big Gulp at 7-Eleven and wondered why God started to hate me that day, then gone to another store and purchased a perfect Coke. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/42 "2012-04-19T17:47:37Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Diet Coke was never designed to taste like regular Coke. It was designed to just be a good tasting zero calorie drink. Whether they were successful is a matter of opinion (FWIW, I find it okay). Coke Zero is a zero calorie drink that is specifically designed to taste like regular Coke. I think it is was successful. I like it. I drank Diet Coke (and Diet Pepsi) for years, but lately I’ve switched to Coke Zero. I guess I like the taste marginally better. I can’t drink regular soda anymore, it tastes like I’m drinking syrup or something. It’s the same reaction I have to whole milk after years of drinking skim. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/43 "2012-04-19T19:37:56Z")
Okay, here is what I know about Coke Zero and Pepsi Max, courtesy of [Cracked](http://www.cracked.com/article_19758_the-5-most-insulting-ways-products-are-advertised-to-men_p2.html) (scroll almost halfway down): the story is, men will not buy drinks with the word “diet” in them, because that means they’re for _girls_. So they just created new diet drinks and put them in manly black cans. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/44 "2012-04-19T23:04:00Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Okay, here is what I know about Coke Zero and Pepsi Max, courtesy of [Cracked](http://www.cracked.com/article_19758_the-5-most-insulting-ways-products-are-advertised-to-men_p2.html) (scroll almost halfway down): the story is, men will not buy drinks with the word “diet” in them, because that means they’re for _girls_. So they just created new diet drinks and put them in manly black cans. As a market researcher and former ad guy…yes, that’s **exactly** the reason why. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/45 "2012-04-19T23:07:09Z")
It the UK, it was advertised as “[Bloke Coke](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/introducing-bloke-coke--is-this-now-the-real-thing-406556.html)”. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/46 "2012-04-19T23:36:24Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Problem is, that means there’s no reason for you to care whether Coke Zero tastes like regular Coke. how is this a “problem?” It also means I don’t have to worry whether the place I’m at offers Coke or Pepsi products. > [@](#): > > When all anyone has to do is drink one right after the other and prove you wrong, it is kinda weird to keep claiming it tastes the same. I think it says something about the scientific illiteracy of our populace that advertisers can get away with this. :rolleyes: you honestly think people are going to waste the time and money to sit there and compare them side-by-side? And you’re going to use _this_ as evidence of our “scientific illiteracy?” ---
**Author:** ![Arabella\_Flynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@Arabella\_Flynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arabella_Flynn)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/47 "2012-04-21T04:51:02Z")
I can tell the difference. I’ll drink either Pepsi or Coke, although I prefer Pepsi. The variants with sucralose taste unutterably funny. Things that are originally made with HFCS or sugar taste awful to me when reformulated with sucralose or acesulfame potassium, although things that were originally formulated to have one of those taste fine. I actually kind of like lemonade or other citrus-y fruit punch drinks with sucralose – the lack of stickiness makes the aftertaste almost powdery, like icing sugar, and less lingeringly sweet. Sort of like getting my fruit drinks _sec_. 😃 I’m one of those people who does not get along well with aspartame. I don’t think it’s Satan in a can or anything, but it’s a migraine trigger for me, and I’ve learned to associate the aftertaste with misery. It tastes nothing at all like sugar to me, and I’m not even sure I can really describe the taste as strictly sweet. It tastes flat, watery, and metallic. I don’t drink tea, and I don’t think I’ve run into any sodas flavored with stevia. I used to live near Mexico – and now I live in a city that half-shuts down for Passover – and while I can get Coke and Pepsi made with sugar, I don’t think it tastes different enough to care, and certainly not different enough to pay the extra cash for. The non-cola “throwback” drinks often strike me as too sweet. I’m only 30, so sodas flavored with saccharin were largely before my time. I can taste a huge difference between store brand colas and Coke or Pepsi. I couldn’t tell you if it was Royal Crown or Sam’s Club, but I can definitely tell you it tastes weird. The difference is marginal or absent with other flavors. Orange soda pretty much always tastes like orange (the color, not necessarily the fruit), but cola is a “fantasia” flavor, produced by blending citrus peel oil, cinnamon/cassia and vanilla together, and the idea is that none of them are supposed to stand out enough for you to ID them. The cheap stuff often tastes weirdly vanilla-y to me, almost like a mix of cola and cream soda. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/48 "2012-04-21T05:10:33Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > It tastes more like regular Coke than Diet Coke does. That’s not saying much. I don’t even think Diet Coke purports to taste like regular Coke. (Did it ever? I’m not that old) I can definitely tell the difference between Coke and Coke Zero though. I used to drink Coke all the time, now I’ve switched to Diet. Regular Coke tastes too sugary/sweet to me now, but Coke Zero has this strange undertaste of battery acid. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/49 "2012-04-21T12:07:18Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I’ve never got the appeal of diet drinks. They always have that strange metallic aftertaste, use weird chemicals for sweeteners, and there is increasing evidence that they make you fatter than if you just drank regular soda. I’ll stick with Coke, bottled in Mexico so it has real sugar. I’d like to drink regular Coke. Or any of the throwback sodas. But I can’t. I’m diabetic, so I really have to keep an eye on my sugar intake to keep my glucose levels from escalating. I sure couldn’t tolerate an intake of 40g of sugar in a 12 ounce can when zero grams is a better choice for me. That’s almost as many carbohydrate grams as what I ought to consume for an entire meal. And I actually do like Coke Vanilla Zero or Cherry Zero. There actually are a few zero calorie sodas that I think taste pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/50 "2012-04-21T13:08:28Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I’ve never got the appeal of diet drinks. They always have that strange metallic aftertaste, use weird chemicals for sweeteners, and there is increasing evidence that they make you fatter than if you just drank regular soda. I doubt that. Do you have a cite? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/51 "2012-04-21T15:26:13Z")
I have seen studies online that contend that your body mistakes the fake sugar for real sugar and when it doesn’t get the calories from it wants, it can make you eat more than if you drank, say, water, but I don’t think anyone is saying swapping diet soda with sugared soda will make you lose weight. Sugared soda is basically liquid candy. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/52 "2012-04-21T18:00:37Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I have seen studies online that contend that your body mistakes the fake sugar for real sugar and when it doesn’t get the calories from it wants, it can make you eat more than if you drank, say, water, but I don’t think anyone is saying swapping diet soda with sugared soda will make you lose weight. Sugared soda is basically liquid candy. The latest studies I have seen say that they aren’t sure why people who drink a lot of diet soda tend to maintain or gain weight, but the argument of ‘compensating’ also figures in. I.e., “I drink diet soda so I can have more fries.” ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/53 "2012-04-21T18:09:52Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > The latest studies I have seen say that they aren’t sure why people who drink a lot of diet soda tend to maintain or gain weight, but the argument of ‘compensating’ also figures in. I.e., “I drink diet soda so I can have more fries.” An even simpler explanation is that people who drink diet drinks are the same people who have developed very bad eating habits. Therefore, theyre more likely to continue those bad habits, even after switching to diet. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/54 "2012-04-21T22:24:30Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > An even simpler explanation is that people who drink diet drinks are the same people who have developed very bad eating habits. Therefore, theyre more likely to continue those bad habits, even after switching to diet. I’m not a scientist but I would assume any study like this would control for diet. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/55 "2012-04-22T00:24:48Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I’m not a scientist but I would assume any study like this would control for diet. But then lisacurl’s explanation would also have to be wrong, as you can’t make up for calories. Most likely it’s impossible to perfectly control for diet unless you do an experiment instead of just a study. You’d have to restrict calories and compare the weight loss rates. And, even then, that’s assuming that past behavior doesn’t affect future ability to lose weight–something yo-yo dieters claim is not true. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/56 "2012-04-22T00:34:38Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > how is this a “problem?” It also means I don’t have to worry whether the place I’m at offers Coke or Pepsi products. > > :rolleyes: you honestly think people are going to waste the time and money to sit there and compare them side-by-side? And you’re going to use _this_ as evidence of our “scientific illiteracy?” Yes. I do. The idea that finding out the truth is a waste of time is just as much a testament to scientific illiteracy. Living your life willingly choosing not to test if something is true but believing it anyways is exactly what I mean by scientific illiteracy. And it’s a problem because it means other people can convince you of anything. Perhaps you think a rolleyes is somehow convincing, but I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/57 "2012-04-22T00:51:19Z")
Count me in with those who can tell the difference between Coke and Coke Zero. I much prefer the former. I also think that Mexican Coke with real sugar tastes better than the HFCS version. As for why their is a theory that even diet soda drinkers don’t loose weight, I think it’s because the rest of their diet is poor and still is largely fast food. Somebody who orders a double bacon cheeseburger with extra mayo, super size fries, two apple pies, and a Diet Coke, is not going to loose weight. I suspect that this type of “dieting” leads to the idea that drinking diet drinks contributes to weight gain. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/58 "2012-04-22T00:54:12Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I’m not a scientist but I would assume any study like this would control for diet. Maybe we would know, if we had an actual cite. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/59 "2012-04-22T01:31:29Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Yes. I do. The idea that finding out the truth is a waste of time is just as much a testament to scientific illiteracy. Living your life willingly choosing not to test if something is true but believing it anyways is exactly what I mean by scientific illiteracy. > > And it’s a problem because it means other people can convince you of anything. Perhaps you think a rolleyes is somehow convincing, but I don’t. Is it lonely up there on your pedestal? We’re talking about _sweetened drinks._ ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222/60 "2012-04-22T03:01:23Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I’m not a scientist but I would assume any study like this would control for diet. What are the scientists going to do, lock you in the lab? Even in the studies at Pennington Biomedical Research Center where all food is provided, they are going on an honor system that participants aren’t eating on their own. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-the-same-as-coke/619222.md?page=4)