Diet soda can triple risk of dementia, stroke, study finds
But that’s not a call for a return to sugar
The quest to trim waistlines using artificial sweeteners could be backfiring, as researchers found artificially sweetened drinks such as diet soda can increase a person’s likelihood of stroke and dementia.
A study published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke found a daily diet soda puts a person at three times the risk of dementia and stroke compared to someone who drinks less than one a week.
It’s another blow to diet soda, which has been the subject of recent unflattering studies. Purdue University found in 2013 it doesn’t help us lose weight. Another 2007 study discovered those who drink diet soda are no less at risk of heart disease than those who drink regular soda.
In fact, the Stroke study found drinking sugary drinks doesn’t increase a person’s risk of stroke and dementia. Researchers caution that’s not a call to go buy sugary drinks, which Harvard University research has linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
“Although we did not find an association between stroke or dementia and consumption of sugary drinks, this certainly does not mean they are a healthy option,” said Matthew Pase, study author and a senior fellow at the Boston University School of Medicine. “We recommend that people drink water on a regular basis.”
Over seven years, researchers studied thousands of people over age 45 from the Framingham, Mass., area on their drinking and eating habits. They followed up a decade later to see who had experienced a stroke or dementia. The data was adjusted for a number of factors, including age, sex and caloric intake. The study only tracked the trend between artificial sweetener consumers, dementia and stroke but was unable to prove drinking artificial drinks was the cause of the diseases.
The American Beverage Association, which represents soda makers such as Pepsi and Coca- Cola, defended low- calorie sweeteners, saying they can be tools for weight loss.