Research presented at a recent American College of Cardiology meeting suggests that diet drinks may contribute to cardiovascular disease, in older women. The study involved nearly 60,000 middle age women who, participated in a 10-year study where they consumed two or more diet sodas daily.
Two important statistical conclusions were drawn linking women’s: health and adverse risks of diet soda consumption:
1) Daily diet soda drinkers were 30 percent more likely to suffer heart attacks and strokes
2) Daily diet soda drinkers were 50 percent more likely to die from cardiovascular disease, when compared with women who never or rarely drank diet drinks.
The researchers say it is not clear what is causing the effects in women, whether it is something in diet drinks, or whether women who drink, diet drinks have more unhealthy, risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or a higher BMI than those who do not consume diet drinks.
Diet soda not only has artificial sweetners, which have been implicated in negative health outcomes but also phosphoric acid which binds to essential nutrients such as magnesium. Magnesium is in charge of over 300 reactions in the body and very important for cardiovascular health. Eliminating sodas can be a simple way to improve cardiovascular risk.