Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Stroke Concerns Raised for Diet Soda Drinkers
A recent study has cited diet soda as a potential contributing factor in heart attack and stroke incidents. The study followed just over 2,500 people for almost 10 years and their pop preferences. Those who drank diet soda each day were found to have nearly a 50% higher risk of experiencing "vascular events" versus those who chose another beverage to enjoy.
In the almost 10 years that the study was conducted, there were 559 strokes or heart attacks. Of that number, 338 of them were deadly.
Specific kinds of diet soda were not analyzed in the study and risk comparisons were not conducted on other common drinks like tea, milk, juice or coffee. Despite this, the lead researcher of the study, Dr. Hannah Gardener, encourages people to try and avoid soda and opt for water.
Some shortcomings have been named since the study went public and they center on one's family history and background, weight gain, and how participants in the research were only asked about their diet soda drinking at a single time rather than over a longer period. Because certain types of diet soda were not focused on, differing combinations that brands use for coloration and sweeteners could also factor into how healthy (or not) a bottle or can truly is.
While easing up on your daily dose of diet soda may be a good idea anyway, the research is still too new to give a definitive answer on whether you should cut diet soda out of your diet completely.
