Does Soft Drinks Increase Stroke Risk ?

Posted on December 2, 2011
Filed Under Health, Nutrition | Leave a Comment

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Are you trying to lose weight by drinking diet sodas? According to new research, drinking diet sodas could boost your risk of stroke. Find out more about a possible link between diet sodas and stroke.

What has no nutritional value, is loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners, and contains caffeine and sodium? If you guessed soft drinks, you get the prize. Despite the controversy that surrounds them, soft-drinks have captured the taste buds of Americans, and many soda lovers drink several cans of the sweet stuff a day. To reduce the sugar and calories, some well meaning soft-drink fans switch to diet soda instead. But a new study shows diet sodas are bad for you in yet another way – they may increase the risk of stroke.

Drinking Diet Sodas and the Risk of Stroke

Researchers questioned over 2,500 residents of Manhattan about their eating and soft-drink drinking habits, while controlling for such factors as exercise and cigarette smoking that could affect their risk of stroke. Even after taking these factors into account, they found that residents who drank diet soda daily had a 61% greater risk of stroke than those who avoided soft-drinks.

While the results of this study are alarming, you can’t say soft-drinks increase the risk of stroke based on a single study, and this study only shows an association – not cause and effect. Some diet soda drinkers drink diet sodas to compensate for other bad eating habits, which could play into their higher risk of stroke. Still, drinking diet sodas leaves a lot to be desired from a nutritional standpoint. Interestingly, this study found no increased risk of stroke among regular soft-drink drinkers.

Drinking Diet Soda: The Bottom Line?

Diet sodas have no nutritional value, and there’s too much evidence that these drinks aren’t good for you to make them a part of your diet. If you enjoy sipping carbonated beverages, buy seltzer water and flavor it with fruit juice instead. Or explore the world of green, white and herbal teas for a healthy change of pace. And don’t forget about water. It’s the least expensive drink of all. Imagine all the money you’ll save if you stop drinking diet soft drinks and sip water instead – and you can sleep a little more soundly knowing that drinking water certainly won’t increase your risk of stroke.

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