Diet soda can cause health complications, a new study says. (CBS)
CHICAGO (CBS) People often drink diet sodas to be healthier, but new research suggests some potential health dangers.
CBS 2s Roseanne Tellez reports a look at the risk and has some advice on what to do if youre a fan of those drinks.
No doubt, millions of people cant seem to do without their diet soda. But some recent research suggests a link between diet soda and heart disease. That may cause some people to make a different choice the next time theyre thirsty.
The University of Miami/Columbia University study found the risk of heart attack and stroke was 43 percent higher among people who drank diet soda at least once a day.
For people who never or rarely drank diet beverages, the risk was just 22 percent. And, there was no increased risk for regular soda drinkers.
Dr. Annabelle Volgman, director of the Rush Heart Center for Women, believes those findings are cause for concern.
It worries me that we think diet sodas are better than regular sodas. It may be in terms of calorie intake, but it doesnt seem to be protective from heart disease and strokes, she says.
Dr. Volgman cautions that the study wasnt well-conducted because it didnt track soda consumption through the entire 10 years. She also points out that many of the study participants had pre-existing heart disease risk factors including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
But earlier studies have questioned the health effects of diet soda, too. Those have linked the drink to weight gain, metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes.
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Diet Soda May Cause Health Problems, Study Says
