Consumer Behaviour - Final Paper

Consumer Behaviour 740

Lasell University

Shiv Kapur

Final Paper Proposal

07/28/20

The product I would like to research on is diet coke, one of the products of the Coca-

Cola company. Diet Coke is a soft drink that is sugar-free and has no calories. It was unveiled

by the company in 1982 and has become very popular since then. It is especially popular with

diabetic people and who require low sugar products and products with no calories. There are

several flavors for this product which include cherry, lime, ginger, and mango among others.

Since it was first introduced in the market, this product has evolved a lot and this has led to an

increase in sales of the product (Gupta et al, 2018).

The reason I would like to research this product is because of the many health issues

that have been attached to it that leave consumers with the dilemma of whether or not it is safe

for their health. Diet sodas have become so popular because people who want to reduce their

blood sugar see them as the best option. However, these drinks could do more harm than good.

Health research has proven that diet coke is not nutritious at all. This drink is only made of

carbonated water, sweeteners, colors, and flavors among others. It does not contain calories

and therefore no nutrition (Wilson et al, 2016).

There is a conflict on whether or not diet soda enables one to lose weight. Most people

assume that because diet soda does not contain calories, it helps one to lose weight. These

claims have not however been substantiated. Some studies show that diet coke could increase

the risk of obesity by stimulating hunger hormones. Other studies on the other hand claim that

replacing sweetened drinks with diet coke could lead to weight loss. In my research, I aim to

find out whether diet coke helps in weight loss leads one to gain more weight (Gupta et al,

2018).

Diet coke is popular with diabetic people. However, there are claims that diet coke

could cause diabetes and heart diseases. Although the risk is half of that associated with sugary

drinks it is still significant. There is a controversy in these as other reviews claim that diet coke

does not increase one's risk of getting diabetes. Studies have also linked diet coke to increased

risk of high blood pressure and stroke. These claims have however not been substantiated

because most of the studies were conducted through observation. There have also been

arguments that diet coke exposes one to the risk of kidney disease. One of the ingredients of

diet coke is said to produce more acid than the kidney can handle. This leads one to develop

kidney stones. Again, other researchers have claimed that the health risks posed by diet coke

are nothing compared to the risks posed by regular coke (Johnson et al, 2018).

There are a lot of controversies in the issue of diet coke regarding its health benefits of

effects. Most of these claims are not substantial which leaves the consumer with the dilemma

of what the best thing to do is. In the future, I would like to work for a beverage company like

Coca-Cola. It is important to ensure that you know as much as possible concerning a given

product so that you can share the information with your customers. Diet Coke is a popular drink

and consumers will have a lot of questions concerning it. I need to be able to answer those

questions and support my answers with facts.

Knowing more about a product is also part of making the 'buyer beware' policy more

efficient. Consumers need to know what they are buying, what benefits they will reap, and what

effects the product could have. Conducting research on diet coke will help me to know all that

I can about this popular yet controversial drink. I will then use this information to market the

product. This information will clear any doubt and set everything straight so that consumers

will no longer be misled or caused to buy a product that could be harmful to their health.

Consumers ought to be protected at all costs.

References

- Gupta, R., Shady, A., Batool, R., & Harley, J. (2018). Do You Eat Healthy? You May

Need a Diet Coke! A Case Report of Successful Non-Surgical Phytobezoar Treatment:

2706. American Journal of Gastroenterology

- Johnson, R. K., Lichtenstein, A. H., Anderson, C. A., Carson, J. A., Després, J. P., Hu,

F. B., ... & American Heart Association Nutrition Committee of the Council on

Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke

Nursing; Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes

Research; and Stroke Council. (2018). Low-calorie sweetened beverages and

cardiometabolic health: a science advisory from the American Heart Association

- Wilson, T., Dahl, R., & Temple, N. (2016). Beverage trends affect future nutritional

health impact. In Beverage Impacts on Health and Nutrition.