Drinking One Diet Drink A Day Can Triple Risk Of Dementia And Strokes

Yes, you heard right. Drinking One Diet Drink A Day Can Triple Risk Of Dementia And Strokes, a new study finds. Only ONE a day!

Drinking One Diet Drink A Day Can Triple Risk Of Dementia And Strokes

Diet soda has long been thought to be a healthier alternative to sugary soft drinks, but a new study raises some concerning questions. According to The Framingham Heart Study (conducted in partnership with Boston University), there is an association between diet soda consumption and both stroke and dementia, with people drinking diet soda daily being at a higher risk.

There’s even more evidence with a more recent study done by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association (AHA & ASA). Turns out ALL diet drinks, including juice, may increase your risk of stroke.

My personal experience with diet soda

I have a confession to make: I am a former diet coke addict. I used to drink diet coke, coke zero, and diet drinks EVERYDAY! And also used to sweeten my coffee with Splenda, because I didn’t know about the dangers or artificial sweeteners.

I stopped consuming artificial sweeteners when I got pregnant for the first time, about 7 years ago. At one of my first prenatal visits, my doctor told me to limit the intake of diet soda.  And I thought to myself WHY? So, I looked into it and found out artificial sweeteners are really bad for our health.

After I had my son, I decided to never go back to artificial sweeteners again. It was hard at the beginning, because I was used to drinking diet coke everyday. I liked it. Actually, I LOVED it! But with time, I got used to drinking water instead. And now, I don’t crave it anymore. What happened was I was able to change the bad habit. Hurray!

Now I found another VERY POWERFUL REASON to AVOID drinking diet sodas.

It is so important to stay informed and learn about the dangers of processed foods. With information from reliable sources, you can make better choices for you and your family. This is how I changed my eating habits. Little by little (one ingredient at a time), you can switch to better and healthier ingredients.

Interested in eating clean? Please see my post, 7 Ways To Avoid Eating Processed Foods. There is nothing better than “real”, fresh homemade food. Food cooked from scratch made with nutritious ingredients.

Remember that we are what we eat. Staying away from artificial ingredients is the best for our health. Sugary drinks are bad, but diet drinks can even be more dangerous! Drinking One Diet Drink A Day Can Triple Risk Of Dementia And Strokes. Bad for our body and our brain too.

Study Says Drinking One Diet Drink A Day Can Triple Risk Of Dementia And Strokes

Boston University researchers found aspartame, a low-calorie sweetener, wreaks havoc on the arteries – as opposed to sugar-sweetened drinks. This means drinking diet soda is far worse for your health than drinking regular soda sweetened with sugar.

The results showed that adults who had one or more diet drinks a day were 2.9 times more likely to develop dementia and 3 times more at risk of strokes compared to those who virtually had none at all. A team of scientists from Boston University believe the artificial sweeteners including aspartame and saccharine may be affecting the blood vessels, eventually triggering strokes and dementia.

This new study involved data on 2,888 adults older than 45 and 1,484 adults older than 60 from the town of Framingham, Massachusetts. The data came from the Framingham Heart Study, a project of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and Boston University.

Researchers concluded, “After adjustments for age, sex, education (for analysis of dementia), caloric intake, diet quality, physical activity, and smoking, higher recent and higher cumulative intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke, all-cause dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease dementia.” Interestingly, despite the diet soda dementia risk and increased risk of stroke, no association was made between the naturally sweetened sodas and stroke or dementia.

The conclusion: Stay away from sweetened drinks (natural or artificial), all together

“Although we did not find an association between stroke or dementia and the consumption of sugary drinks (referring to regular sodas sweetened with sugar), this certainly does not mean they are a healthy option. We recommend that people drink water on a regular basis instead of sugary or artificially sweetened beverages.”

We already knew drinking sugary drinks was bad. Nutrition experts believe high levels of sugar contribute not just to rising levels of obesity, but also other health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, dental cavities and cancer. The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) have great information about the devastating consequences of eating too much sugar. It is very important to Know Your Limit for Added Sugars.

More studies about diet drinks

“Our study shows a need to put more research into this area given how often people drink artificially sweetened beverages,” said Matthew Pase, a senior research fellow in the department of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine and lead author of the new study.

This post has generated a lot of controversy. People are commenting about the study and asking for more proof. This is why I am posting a second article about other studies done on this topic. Yes, more and more studies are showing the dangers of artificial sweeteners and I think we should be listening.  Please take a look at my recent post: 5 Powerful Reasons To Quit Drinking Diet Sodas Now.

How to choose better options

I like to sweeten my desserts with natural sugars like maple syrup and honey. In my opinion, those are the best choices if you want to enjoy a sweet treat. Instead of using chemicals, I try to use natural ingredients as much as possible. If you are interested, please take a look at my 5 Sweet Treats You Don’t Have To Feel Guilty About post.

If you don’t feel like drinking plain water always, please see my Detox Water recipes. They will also help you improve your digestive health, plus they are super tasty and so refreshing.

I also make morning smoothies sweetened with coconut water and fruits. Try to stay away from refined sugars and artificial sweeteners as much as possible. It is really the best thing you can do for your health.

What we put in our bodies will definitely affect our health and our future health. I have seen the difference, and it is truly amazing! And if you want to detox from all the toxins and chemicals in your body, I highly recommend a good detox bath.

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