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.”
Lead author Hannah Gardener
A new study conducted by US researchers suggests daily consumption of diet soda is associated with a greater risk of developing stroke and heart attack.
A new article in the Journal of General Internal Medicine warns that shifting from sugary soda drinks to diet forms can lower the odds of gaining excessive weight but the risk of deadly cardiovascular problems still remains for fizzy drink lovers.
To examine the association, a team of researchers from the University of Miami and the Columbia University studied 10 years of health data and soda-drinking habits in 2,564 New York City adults.
Their findings disclosed that those who used to drink diet soda on a daily basis had a 43 percent higher risk of developing cardiovascular problems.
The results also showed that people who tended to drink diet soda more occasionally — between six a week and once a month — and those who consumed sugary soda didn’t have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.
The “results suggest a potential association between daily diet soft drink consumption and vascular outcomes,” said lead author Hannah Gardener.
“However, the mechanisms by which soft drinks may affect vascular events are unclear, who called for further investigations.”
“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,” she concluded.
—Agencies