Study: Diet Sodas Link to Strokes, Death
A study of more than 80,000 women ages 50 to 79 links drinking two or more diet drinks a day with an increased risk for certain kinds of stroke, coronary artery disease and death.
Published today in the journal Stroke, a publication of the American Heart Association, the study follows other research that previously connected the artificial sweeteners found in diet soda and other beverages with a higher risk of stroke, heart attack, type 2 diabetes, obesity and other conditions.
But the study released today is one of the first to look at the link between drinking artificially sweetened beverages and the risk of certain types of stroke in a large, racially diverse group of older women.
“Many well-meaning people, especially those who are overweight or obese, drink low-calorie sweetened drinks to cut calories in their diet,” noted lead study author Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, in a statement. “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.”
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Charles Higley
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The problem with this study is how the stats are reported. The 23% greater chance of a stroke may be simply a 1 in 500,00 chance going to 1.23 in 500,000.. Actually very little increased risk of stroke, but they love to say percentages to scare people. If if went from 1/500,00 to 3/500.000, it is still low risk, but they would report, breathlessly, a 200% increased risk.
As is mentioned, they also do not differentiate between the artificial sweeteners, which is a critical problem.
Also, such studies are rank with other factors that might correlate with diet drink drinkers. The health issues from obesity and diabetes are huge compared to the small risks mentioned here. The article even mentions that many of these drinkers are overweight or obese, which calls into question their eating habits, which I see in the grocery checkout line all the time (overweight people buying diet drinks and lots of other carbohydrates). Many of these possibly have diabetes or incipient diabetes, are be relatively inactive, etc. Do not forget smoking. Just too many factors to consider.
Having been drinking diet drinks daily for 50+ years and in great health, I find this paper rather slim on meaning..
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