Are Diet Drinks More Dangerous Than Sugary Drinks?

A study of 4,400 adults by scientists at Boston University (USA) showed that diet drinks are no longer healthy drinks.

Diet drinks make up a quarter of the soft drink market, but there's growing evidence that they're not as healthy as we think.

Adults who drink at least one can of diet drink a day triple their risk of stroke or dementia, scientists say.

A team of scientists from Boston University believe that sugary drinks, including aspartame and saccharine, can damage blood vessels and even trigger strokes and dementia. A large study by Imperial College London in January found that they are no more effective at helping people lose weight than fatty drinks.

In fact, the authors also found that diet sodas cause obesity by activating sugar receptors in the brain, making us crave sweets.

In the latest study, published in the American Heart Association's Stroke Journal, researchers followed 4,372 people over the age of 45. All answered detailed questions about what they ate and drank starting in the 1990s and were then followed for 10 years.

Nutritionists believe that high sugar intake not only increases the risk of obesity but also causes other diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay and cancer.

Research shows that people who drink one diet drink a day are 2.9 times more likely to develop dementia and three times more likely to have high blood pressure than those who hardly drink any.

Meanwhile, they found no link between sugary drinks and these diseases. It is important to note that scientists do not recommend that we drink sugary drinks.

“Our study highlights the need for more research in this area to understand how frequently people consume sugar-sweetened beverages,” said Matthew Pase, a senior fellow in neurology at Boston University School of Medicine.

Although we did not find an association between stroke or dementia and people who drank soft drinks, this does not mean they are a healthy choice.

We recommend that people drink water instead of sugary drinks or soft drinks.”

Controversial research

“We all know that limiting added sugar is an important strategy for healthy eating and healthy weight, and until we know more, we should be wary of diet drinks,” said Rachel Johnson, former president of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee and a University of Vermont nutritionist.

Previous studies have shown a trend toward diet drinks among overweight and obese people, a trend that is becoming more common as we become more aware of the health risks of sugar.

However, Gavin Partington, chairman of the British Drinks Association, said: “Scientists have acknowledged that this study does not find a cause for the condition and the scientific evidence for this conclusion is lacking.”

In fact, although the risk of stroke and dementia is tripled, it does not mean that all people who drink diet drinks will get sick. In Pase's study, only 3% of participants were diagnosed with stroke and 5% with dementia.

Meanwhile, Public Health England is encouraging food and drink companies to use lower calorie sugar alternatives to help with weight control.

According to Dantri