A new study in 2600 adults for over a decade suggests that people who drink diet soda every day have a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke. The study published in Journal of General Internal Medicine indicates a correlation (and not a cause-and-effect relation) between those who drink diet soda in a daily basis and heart attack and stroke: those who drank diet soda regularly everyday were 44 percent more likely -than non-drinkers- to suffer a heart attack or stroke.
More info: MSNBC
Diet Soda: Fewer Calories, Greater Stroke Risk? by ABC
According to a study of more than 2,500 people presented today as a poster at the American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles, people who drank diet soda daily had a 61 percent increased risk of cardiovascular events compared to those who drank no soda, even when accounting for smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption and calories consumed per day.
“This study suggests that diet soda is not an optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages, and may be associated with a greater risk of stroke,”Hannah Gardener of the University of Miami and her colleagues reported at the conference.
But the questionnaire-based study garnered criticism by experts in diet, nutrition and vascular disease.
“This study has major flaws and should not change anyone’s diet soda consumption,” said ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser.
The truth about diet soda: Weight gain is not the only health risk
BY MACK ARMSTRONG
Originally shared by NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
COMMENTARY
Like millions of others around the globe, you may love the refreshing taste of your favorite diet soda. With each sip, you relish in the knowledge that you’re saving calories by drinking diet instead of regular soda, so you may rationalize the amount of soda you consume. But is diet soda really a healthy alternative or are there health risks associated with drinking too much of this beverage?
In short, there are indeed potential problems with drinking diet soda. One of the most unexpected and undesired? Weight gain.
That’s right—the very thing you may suspect you’re avoiding by skipping the regular soda may be what you run right into if you’re not careful. But weight gain isn’t the only problem you may run into. Researchers have conducted studies that link diet soda to all sorts of health maladies, including strokes, heart attacks, and kidney problems.
Are these claims valid? And what’s the real skinny on diet sodas? You’re about to find out.
Diet Sodas = Weight Gain?
A recent 10-year study followed 474 diet soda drinkers between the ages of 65 and 74. After this prolonged period, those whose who drank diet soda gained 70 percent more weight in their waists than non-drinkers. Unfortunately, the bad news doesn’t end there. Because those who drank two or more diet drinks a day experienced waist growth that was an incredible five times faster than non-soda drinkers. And with this weight gain came an increase in other health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other chronic medical conditions.
According to another study, the ingredient in diet sodas that may contribute to weight gain was the artificial sweetener aspartame. Experts speculate that artificial sweeteners trigger your appetite but inhibit the cells in your brain that tell you that you’re full. With such a combination, your body craves more calories, while your ability to cease and desist is diminished.
Diet Sodas = Higher Risk for Heart Attack and Stroke – WHAT?!
Gaining weight is a pretty bad consequence of drinking diet soda. But it gets worse. One study conducted on approximately 2,500 people over a nine-year period found that those who drank at least one diet soda a day were 48 percent more likely to have a stroke or heart attack compared to those who rarely or never drank sodas. Strangely, there wasn’t an increase in cardiovascular problems for those who drink regular soda on a daily basis.
The research, however, doesn’t scientifically prove that diet soda increases your risk for heart disease, as the study was lacking important variables. The findings are worth considering, however. Especially as regular soda did not seem to increase an individual’s risk for cardiovascular health problems.
Diet Sodas = Kidney Problems
Ready for some more bad news? Hang on tight! Yet another study has found that while drinking diet soda may lower your caloric intake, it may also double your risk of developing kidney problems. The research found that women who drank two or more diet sodas a day lost 30 percent of their kidney function during the study. It also showed that drinking less than two diet beverages a day does not seem to have a negative effect.
In the last 20 years, diagnoses of kidney disease have doubled in America alone. Researchers suspect something in the American diet must account for this trend, and drinking diet soda may play an integral role.
Duh!
A Special Treat
While studies about the potential dangers of diet soda have not all been scientifically conclusive, they should make you stop and think before opening your next can of diet soda. But you don’t have to give up your favorite drink altogether, as small amounts don’t seem to be cause for concern.
So the question is, if regular sugar soda isn’t good for you, and diet soda isn’t healthy either, what should you drink? If you guessed water, you’re right. Pat yourself on the back!
Other healthy choices include small amounts of 100-percent fruit juice or skim milk. If you don’t care for the taste of water, try adding a squirt of cranberry juice or lemon to your water, or try sparkling water. Heck even iced tea will get the job done… NO sugar NO fake sweeteners.
Listen, no one else is going to tell you this, so I will. Losing weight (specially fat) takes work. You gotta plan your eating, make working out a priority and dump your bad habits and the people who encourage you to eat crap and skip your workouts.
But if you want it bad enough then you’ll do it.
Mack Armstrong is known as the Renegade Fat Loss Coach and writes a Fat Loss blog.
