Diet Soda Causes Heart Attacks and Stroke? Put Down That Can!

Yes, diet soda is BAD FOR YOU! I mean, that’s the main message we’ve been hearing ad nauseam for the past, oh, five years for sure . . . perhaps longer than that given the cancer-causing sweeteners they contain.

BUT, if all of that negative press wasn’t enough to make you kick your habit, then perhaps the latest findings will do the trick.

A recent study found that drinking even just one can of diet soda per day can significantly increase your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.

YIKES. Put down the diet soda, and read on . . .

The Findings

The study, which was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, monitored 2,500 people’s soda drinking habits for 10 years. They compared the number of heart attacks and strokes over the 10 years, factoring in several pre-existing issues, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as BMI.

The results showed that those who drank diet soda on a daily basis were 43 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than those who didn’t drink the poison, I mean, soda.

Even more interesting, there was no evidence found showing that regular soda increased risk of vascular events; only diet soda.

Researchers were quick to say that much more research is needed and that while the findings did result in a connection between diet soda and vascular events, it doesn’t mean that diet soda will necessarily cause a heart attack or stroke.

What We Already Know

As mentioned above, there seems to be something in the news about diet soda and how bad it is for you on a fairly consistent basis (meaning, pretty much every week). What we had already learned about diet soda before this study was that it increases your risk of type-2 diabetes, and that it may cause weight gain . . . even though it’s sugar-free and calorie-free. 

Here’s some more evidence from the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Centre:

The study looked at information from 474 adults, including their weight, height, and waist measurement and tracked the association between diet soda and body fat through three follow-up exams after their initial enrollment in the study.

They found that all of the participants’ waistlines expanded over that time, but those who drank diet soda had a 70 percent greater waistline increase. More alarming was that those that drank two or more diet sodas per day had a waistline growth 500 percent greater than those who didn’t consume diet soda!

And, another study also done by the same group (earlier, using mice) found that those who had aspartame added to their diets experienced elevated fasting glucose levels, which indicates a pre-diabetic and diabetic condition.

The “Diet” in Diet Soda Makes It Worse

Previous research has found that artificial sweeteners like those found in diet sodas are bad for your weight. Why? Because of the way the brain is set up to expect a large load of sugar whenever you consume something that tastes “sweet,” and since diet soda is sweetened with artificial sweeteners, it appears to throw your brain out of whack. Previous studies in animals indicate that consuming artificial sweetener can lead to weight gain because it triggers the body to start storing more of the calories consumed as fat.

In conclusion: for your health, your weight, and possibly your life, STOP DRINKING DIET SODA. It’s as simple as that.