YOUR DIET SODA MAY BE CAUSING MORE HARM THAN GOOD

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Submitted Date 09/13/2019
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Many Americans feel turning to a Diet Coke instead of a full-calorie Coke is a healthier option and helps keep their calorie count down. Unfortunately, many studies are now showing that choice may be causing more harm than good. In studies presented in 2011 and again in 2019, researchers connect diet soda consumption with an increased risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, and death.

First Major Studies Released in 2011

At the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2011, a research study was presented that connects the intake of diet soda to an increase in heart and vascular risk, as well as an increase in stroke occurrences.

The study was a large, multi-ethnic Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS) and is a collaboration of investigators at Columbia University in New York and Miami's Miller School of Medicine. It began in 1993 to examine the stroke incidence and risk factors throughout a multi-ethnic population. According to the study, there were a total of 3,298 participants over 40 years of age, with the average age being 69. The breakdown included 63% women, 21% Caucasian, 24% black, and 53% Hispanic.

In the first study presented by lead author and epidemiologist at the University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine, Hannah Gardener, they found that those who consumed a diet soda every day had a 61% higher risk of a vascular or heart event than those who did not consume any soda.

The 2,564 participants in the soda study were divided into 7 groups based on their drinking habits and were broken down as follows: no soda (less than one soda a month), moderate regular soda (one per month to six per week), daily regular soda, moderate diet soda, daily diet soda, and then there were two groups that include those who drank both diet and regular sodas in the moderate and daily categories.

The average follow-up for the study was 9.3 years and within that time frame, there were 559 vascular events. Researchers then took into account such things as family history of vascular disease, smoking status, age, sex, ethnicity, whether they regularly exercised, and their alcohol consumption and daily caloric intake, the study still presented with an increased risk at 48% higher for those that consumed daily diet soda.

Gardener stated, "If our results are confirmed with future studies, then it would suggest that diet soda may not be the optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages for protection against vascular outcomes".

While this study found these results, they also concluded that further research was necessary before reaching an absolute conclusion regarding the health consequences of diet soft drinks.

2019 Study Shows Similar Results

In February of 2019, another study confirmed what Gardener believed, at least in women. This study looked at 81,714 women from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. What they found was that that higher intake of artificially sweetened beverages increased the risk of stroke, coronary heart disease and in any cause of death. In women with a body mass above 30, there was a significantly increased risk of ischemic stroke.

While you may think you are benefiting from those low-calorie drinks, are the reduced calories really worth the risk? If you want to cut calories, your better option is to just pour yourself a glass of water.

 

Comments

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  • No name 4 years, 6 months ago

    I'm glad you shared something like this. It's wild when people seem to think diet is okay.

  • Robert Mitton 4 years, 6 months ago

    Diet drinks have long been dangerous! I remember an article from the Denver weekly Westword back in 1984 warning about sodium cyclamate in diet sodas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_cyclamate Anything that is artificial or a substitute for the real thing is most likely always going to end up being worse for you in the long run. Here's another warning! Sugar! If the ingredients just list it as sugar here in the USA, then that means it is GMO sugar! If it doesn't clearly state that it is either cane or organic sugar, then it is sugar from GMO sugar beets. So that basically means all American candy, as well as anything that contains just plain, old sugar!