You May Want to Skip the Soda – Even if it’s Diet

It’s a steamy summer day, and you know it’s important to stay hydrated but what you choose to drink could have a big impact on your health.  Most people know soda, full of empty calories and sugar, isn’t a good hydration option but new research has found that diet soda and other artificially sweetened drinks may be just as hazardous to your health, or worse!  Several recent studies have linked sugar-free, diet drinks with a higher risk for stroke and dementia.

A 2017 study, published in the American Heart Association Journal Stroke, found that participants who drank at least one diet soda each day were nearly three times more likely to have an ischemic stroke compared with adults who did not drink artificially sweetened beverages.  Ischemic stroke is caused by a blockage within blood vessels supplying blood to the brain.   Researchers also linked drinking diet soda daily with an increased risk for dementia. 

Lifestyle choices also influence risk for stroke and dementia and it was noted during the course of the study that participants who drank diet soda daily were also more likely to be overweight and less likely to eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise; two significant risk factors for stroke and dementia.  A 2015 study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that diet soda drinkers over the age of 65 had a waist circumference that was three times the size of those who did not drink artificially sweetened beverages.

It is not yet known how artificial sweeteners affect the vascular system or the vessels that carry blood to the heart and brain.  But along with eating a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, olive oil, fish and whole grains, getting regular exercise and stopping smoking, skipping soda entirely seems like a good idea.  Some studies have also associated drinking soda (diet or regular) with an increased risk for high blood sugar, high blood triglycerides, low levels of good cholesterol and a trend towards high blood pressure. 

If you are trying to break the soda habit this summer, try instead drinking sparkling water, coconut water, unsweetened iced tea, kombucha, seltzer with a splash of lemon or lime or water infused with fruit, cucumber or mint.   No need to stay thirsty!