Blood Work Results are In

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So, the blood test results are in. Finally. My TV show friends had wisely suggested that it might make a cleaner experiment if I didn’t know the results from the first test, before I drank the Diet Cokes, until we got the results from the blood tests AFTER the experiment.
In other words, I didn’t have a clue what to expect.
To briefly recap: after drinking 10 Diet Cokes a day for 30 days, my basic physiological condition did not change: no weight gain at all, no changes in fasting blood glucose measurements, or blood pressure. Felt good, had energy, slept well, no cravings.
But what really happened – inside, might be much worse than a little bit of weight gain, so I had very sophisticated blood work done before and after the test and then the results analyzed by a doctor.
Here’s what the blood tests showed: Nothing really happened. My Lipid profile shifted very slightly. Not really anything else. 300 Diet Cokes in.
I’m going to create a chart to post on the site with details from the blood work, but here’s some of the basics for now:
Total Cholesterol went from 318 to 326 mg/dL
But the good HDL went from 106 to 124
And the Bad LDL improved slightly 197 to 190
The level of insulin in my blood rose slightly from 1.2 to 2.8 uIU/mL – but the reference range is 2.6 -24.9, so these are both super-low readings.
Yeah, it’s all pretty boring. Nothing happened. And when it was regular Coke I was drinking, my body and health blew up. I’ll post the rest of the details of the blood work Monday, but for now, I gotta tell you… I’m wondering if it’s sugar industry lobbyists who are creating the “Diet Soda is Bad For You” articles.

First day of not drinking Diet Cokes

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This is my first day without drinking Diet Cokes. I feel fine. No withdrawal. Switched back to espresso and water. Easy so far, and soooo nice not to have to go the bathroom fifteen times a day. Since yesterday was my last day of 30 Days of Diet Coke, today I went to the blood lab to get my second blood analysis. This time I didn’t forget to take a picture of the blood they took from me today at Labcorp. 6 Vials. Bye-bye, blood. Have a fun trip. Here was Dr. Pinzone’s request to the lab: CBC, CMP, Lipid Panel, HgbAIC, insulin, glucagon, leptin, hsCRP, LH, FSH, Prolactin, Total, Free, and BioAvailable Testosterone, TSH, and Free T4. That’s a pretty thorough blood workup, and I’m pretty excited to hear what the doctor finds out from these tests. On the one hand, I think it would be really interesting to see that clear and potentially dangerous change in my body attributable to drinking 300 Diet Cokes in a month, but on the other hand, I don’t really want to harm my long-term health. A little weight-gain that I lose right away is okay, but kidney failure or dissolved bones would not be cool. Of course I’ll post the results from these tests on the website when I get them, and that feels a little uncomfortable, too, since the tests are so complex and thorough, and seem to reveal intimate things about my health. I just want to say in advance that my Testosterone is just fine, whatever the lab says. Except for the lab results, however, all the rest of my data is now posted on my website. Front page. Bottom. It’s pretty boring, actually. My weight went from 168 to 169 lbs. My blood pressure slightly improved. My fasting blood sugar slightly lowered. My body fat percentage stayed the same. Drinking 300 Diet Cokes in a month didn’t do me any obvious, exterior, harm. The lab tests will tell us more of the story. But all I know is that after 30 days of the same amount of regular Coke, I gained 23 pounds and had early stage diabetes. I’m going to reserve further judgement until the tests come in. For now, I can say that it is a relief not to have to drink Diet Coke all day. It wasn’t THAT bad – but it sure seemed like a long month.

Last Day of Diet Coke Drinking

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I have to say, I’m a little sad that this is the last day of Diet Coke drinking. Okay, not that sad – but it had gotten pretty easy to live with by the last week or so. It wasn’t really difficult or unpleasant.

I worked out a routine where I would have two Diet Cokes in the morning when I got up and during breakfast. That left just eight to drink at the office, and if I just kept a can going while I talked on the phone and worked, I was usually done drinking soda by 4 pm or so.

The Diet Coke has come to seem like a little friend – a long line of cans across my desk, the day’s work, and the office strewn with empties like an out-of-control aluminum hoarder.

My weight is steady today, at one pound more than I started the experiment. We’ll see final results tomorrow, but this morning I recorded a very low fasting insulin level of 73 mg/dl, but it’s been holding the same as I started. This is the part that has been kind of boring, actually: In the first Coke experiment, my weight was constantly increasing, my vitals continually getting poorer. So, it’s not very exciting. Everyday the same weight.

The one thing I won’t miss is pricking my finger every morning to take a fasting blood glucose measurement. I know I’m being a baby, and there are a lot of people out there with diabetes who must do this all day – but I feel for you. At least if it’s Type II you do have the ability to improve or cure it by cutting out sugar and grains and fruit.

But I’m not a doctor. I’m just glad I don’t have to keep drawing blood every morning. It’s like “Welcome to your day! Here’s a sharp poke in the finger!”

I’ve got only 3 more Cokes to go today and then I’m done. I’ve had 297 Diet Cokes in the last 30 days.  Tomorrow, speaking of pokes in the finger, I go to get blood drawn for lab tests again. And then next week my doctor looks at the results… and tells me what?