Diet soda drinks are safe. Or not. The studies go back and forth.
A recent study by the American Heart Association shows drinking two or more diet drinks a day can be linked to a higher risk of stroke in women over the age of 50.
“We all worry about our weight. So you choose a diet drink, thinking, ‘OK, there’s no calories in it. I’m doing something good for my body,’” said MUSC professor of epidemiology and neurology, Daniel T. Lackland, Dr.P.H. “But you are also tricking your brain to start a metabolic process for sugar that isn’t there.”
Lackland said the pancreas will then produce insulin to deal with anticipated sugar. But no sugar arrives. It confuses the body so when it does consume sugar, it’s not sure what to do, Lackland said. Consequently, over time this disruption can lead to obesity, diabetes and a host of health problems.
The AMA study included 81,714 women between the ages of 50 and 70.
Compared with women in the study who consumed diet drinks less than once a week or not at all, women who consumed two or more per day were:
- 23 percent more likely to have a stroke.
- 31 percent more likely to have a clot-caused (ischemic) stroke.
- 29 percent more likely to develop heart disease (fatal or non-fatal heart attack).
- 16 percent more likely to die from any cause.
You can view the complete AHA study here.
