Diet Soda Linked to Stroke and Dementia
I’ve talked before about the ill effects of soda like increased inflammation, weight gain, and higher risk of diabetes and heart disease. Recently, a new study, in the journal Stroke from Boston University School of Medicine found that diet soda is also linked to an increase the incidence of stroke and dementia.
The study tracked almost 3,000 individuals age 45 and over for the development of a stroke and almost 1,500 participants age 60 and older for dementia over a 10 year period. All are participants in Framingham Heart Study, which consists of several thousand men and women who have had blood tests periodically since the 1970s.
Researchers found that compared to people who did not drink diet soda, those who drank between one and six diet sodas a week were twice as likely to experience a stroke. They also found associations (although weaker) for dementia risk and diet soda. They say that the reasons are still unknown for this increased risk.
Cutting out diet soda altogether is advisable but make sure not to switch to regular soda which has been associated not only with weight gain, and diabetes, but with also poorer memory and smaller overall brain volumes.
“So, the bottom line is, ‘Have more water and have less diet soda,” Christopher Gardner, director of Nutrition Studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, said about the study. “And don’t switch to real soda.”
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Sources:
- http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/48/5/1139
- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/well/diet-sodas-tied-to-dementia-and-stroke.html
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/04/21/study-links-diet-soda-to-higher-risk-of-stroke-dementia/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d7394ff52fe3
