Coca-Cola is easily the most recognizable soda brand in the United States and to the rest of the world. No soda can surpass it in popularity despite the vast number of competitors it’s put up against. Despite its unique flavor, it does hold one thing in common with the rest of the competition, however; it comes in a seemingly healthier version as well. But why should you give up what you already have for a seemingly toned-down version? Are there any noticeable differences that separate normal Coke and Coke Zero, and what are the upsides and downsides of choosing one over the other?

While the economic benefits of one over the other vary based on the retailer, from a corporate standpoint, Coke Zero is certainly looking up. In 2023, there was a 5% growth in Coke Zero sales, which was double the growth that the actual Coca-Cola Corporation had that year. Although it still isn’t close to competing with the original version, it does show that its popularity is on the rise. Just how much it’s grown in such a short time can even be seen in how it has now completely eclipsed Diet Coke, a beverage that was conceived around two decades before Coke Zero. This isn’t a surprise. Diet Coke is famously considered to have a very different taste than Coke, whereas Coke Zero was designed to be the same thing, just with fewer calories. That’s not to say that the taste is completely the same. As Freshman Aiden Costello puts it when making a comparison: “You can taste that it’s not sugar in Coke Zero, and real Coke makes you feel fat.”

The previous quote shows that the idea of Coke Zero as a healthier alternative to the original soft drink is widely accepted, but just how true is it? While Coke Zero is true to its name by sporting zero calories and zero grams of sugar, it has absolutely no nutritional value, and the artificial sweeteners used in it have been speculated to lead to obesity, diabetes, and potentially metabolic syndrome, along with heart and kidney diseases. So probably not for the most ardent of health nuts to drink. The original, on the other hand, is packed with so much sugar that if phosphoric acid wasn’t present, the human body would barf it all up, and it is even more likely to produce diabetes. The caffeine in the drink also tends to force addiction, along with dangerously raising blood pressure.

To summarize, Coke Zero may be a new growing, and technically healthier alternative, but it does lots of damage to lots of places. Regular Coke does big damage to some places.