Diet Soda Study Links Beverage To Strokes, Death In Women Over 50

Diet soda is linked to death and stroke in women over the age of 50, a recent study shows.

Diet Soda: Study Results

Artificially sweetened drinks are extremely popular today, especially among  those people who are overweight, obese, or suffering from Type-2 diabetes.

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine evaluated 80,000 women ages 50 to 79. The women drank two or more diet sodas every day. Previous research found a correlation between diet sodas and increased risk for stroke, heart attack, Type-2 diabetes, and obesity.

The Einstein research is, however, the first study to evaluate the link between diet soda and certain types of stroke in a racially diverse group of older women.

The results of this study are alarming and should worry diet soda drinkers. Women who drank two or more sodas a day  showed the following stats:

•    23 percent more likely to have a stroke
•    31 percent more likely to have a clot-caused stroke
•    29 percent more likely to develop heart disease
•    16 percent more likely to die from any cause

The risks were higher in women who drank these beverages two or more times a day. They more than doubled their risk for a clot-caused stroke.

They risk of stroke was double when compared to women without previous heart disease or diabetes. The comparison stats were also similar when compared to obese women and African American women without previous heart disease or diabetes.

If anything, these results should motivate dieters to stay safe and switch to natural drinks.

While the study identifies a link between diet beverages and small artery strokes, additional research is advisable. Fine-tuning is important when showing a cause -effect relationship. The results of this study were based on self-reported information on drink consumption.

Also important would be to identify the specific artificial sweeteners in the diet drinks. The researchers should schedule this for their next study.