TikTok is awash with people drinking the unlikely pairing of a protein shake mixed with a soft drink, but experts warn there could be some risk in consuming the concoction.

Dubbed ‘protein Diet Coke’, the blend consists of a flavoured protein drink mixed with – you guessed it – Diet Coke.

The original creator behind the trend is unclear, but American TikTokers rapidly jumped on the protein Diet Coke bandwagon.

“That is phenomenal,” chef Meredith Hayden said in a TikTok after trying a protein diet coke for the first time.

“I was expecting to like it, but I love it. Like, I think I’m going to start doing this every day.”

After doing his take on the trend, fitness business Prime Train founder Thomas Baulch said, “Kind of like a spider … it’s fantastic.”

“Making protein shakes fun is the most important thing … when you’re trying to stay lean … so this is a fantastic option.”

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Protein Diet Coke might please the taste buds, but the trend combines two ultra-processed products with likely harmful effects, The George Institute of Global Health head of nutrition science Jason Wu told TND.

He said carbonated drinks are usually acidic and bad for dental health, and diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners that may be harmful for metabolic health, increasing the risk of diabetes or weight gain.

Additionally, many protein drinks and supplements contain sugar and preservatives, while Australian Bureau of Statistics data published in 2015 revealed almost all Australians already meet their protein requirements.

“Consumers will be better served by saving their hard-earned [money] and spending it on foods that are proven hits for longer and healthier lives: Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, healthy plant oils,” Wu said.

Clare Collins, University of Newcastle laureate professor in nutrition and dietetics, shared the opinion that money could be better spent elsewhere.

She said protein Diet Coke does not have any health benefits, and consuming additional protein despite already meeting your needs could do more harm than good.

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“You can’t store protein in your body, so your body’s got to chop the bit off the molecule that makes it protein – that’s the nitrogen molecule – and send that out through the kidneys and turn it into urea,” Collins said.

“So essentially, you’ll wee it out if you’ve got too much protein. And the rest of that molecule [is stored] as body fat.

“If [drinking protein Diet Coke is] a one-off, it’s neither here nor there. But if … you’re having can after can after can, you’re getting all the stuff that’s in the Diet Coke and you’re getting all of the protein … so you’re going to overload your system.”

Protein Diet Coke comes off the back of the ‘dirty soda‘ (a combination of soft drink, flavoured syrup, creamer and ice) popularised by The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

The latest drink trend has already begun to leak into Australia, but Collins anticipates it will be a short-term fad.

“I don’t think it’s going to be something that in 10 years time, or even in one year’s time, we’re all going to be … consuming,” she said.