Diet drinks are NOT harmless

DRINKING Diet Coke everyday increases your risk of dying young, experts have warned.Two or more artificially-sweetened drinks a day ups the risk of stroke by a quarter and heart disease by a third, new findings show.

Scientists warned their findings should serve as a warning to those on diets.

Dr Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, lead author of the study at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York said: “Many well-meaning people, especially those who are overweight or obese, drink low-calorie sweetened drinks to cut calories in their diet.

“Our research and other observational studies have shown that artificially sweetened beverages may not be harmless and high consumption is associated with a higher risk of stroke and heart disease.”

Heart disease is where the blood vessels that supply the heart with blood narrow, increases the risk of a heart attack, angina and stroke.

A heart attack is where the artery is blocked, preventing blood from getting through – and a ischaemic stroke is where a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked in a similar way.

Obese women at even greater risk

The new findings are based on a big study of women and show some groups are at even greater risk, with those drinking two or more diet drinks a day who were also obese having more than double the stroke risk.

And African-American women also had a higher risk of stroke. Dr Mossavar-Rahmani did stress while their findings suggest a link, they couldn’t prove diet drinks cause stroke and heart problems.

The research, published in the journal Stroke, included data from 81,714 post-menopausal women (who were aged 50 to 79 at the start of the study) and who were tracked for an average of 12 years. One serving of diet drink was regarded as 355ml.

Dr Mossavar-Rahmani said the study had not looked at individual artificial sweeteners, saying: “We don’t know specifically what types of artificially sweetened beverages they were consuming, so we don’t know which artificial sweeteners may be harmful and which may be harmless.”

Though diet colas are calorie-free, they may do more harm than good for dieters.

In 2011, a University of Texas research study found that over the course of a decade, diet-soda drinkers gained considerably more belly fat than those who didn’t drink diet sodas. Diet soda may also contribute to elevated blood-glucose levels and Type 2 diabetes.

To find a satisfying substitute for diet cola, consider what you like most about the drink. Whether you crave the fizz, caffeine, flavor or ritual of a drink break, other options will fulfill your cravings and do more for your health and well-being.

 

Alternative?

If you depend on diet cola for a caffeinated pick-me-up, coffee or tea will fit the bill admirably. A can of diet cola contains from 27 to 47 milligrams of caffeine, while a cup of coffee contains 95 to 200 milligrams and black tea has 14 to 61 milligrams per cup. Green tea has 24 to 40 milligrams of caffeine per cup.

Coffee and tea are both high in antioxidants and seem to convey some valuable health benefits; tea protects the cardiovascular system, while coffee prevents cognitive decline. If you crave an icy cola, choose iced coffee or iced tea to mimic the color and temperature.

Add a twist of lemon to tea or choose a higher-acid coffee varietal to duplicate the zesty acidity of soda. Explore herbal teas, which offer a variety of interesting flavors and are usually caffeine free.

 

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