That Diet Drink You Just Ordered? Change it to Tea....

"We have little data on the health effects of diet drinks and this is problematic because diet drinks are popular amongst the general population."

"More research is needed to study the health effects of diet drinks so that consumers can make informed choices concerning their health."

"The sample sizes are different because we studied people of different ages. Dementia is rare in people under the age of 60 and so we focused only on those aged over 60 years for dementia. Similarly, stroke is rare in people aged under 45 and so we focused on people older than age 45 for stroke."

"So, it was not surprising to see that diet soda intake was associated with stroke and dementia. I was surprised that sugary beverage intake was not associated with either the risks of stroke or dementia because sugary beverages are known to be unhealthy."

Matthew Pase, senior research fellow, department of neurology, Boston University School of Medicine

"The FDA, World Health Organization, European Food Safety Authority and others have extensively reviewed low-calorie sweeteners and have all reached the same conclusion -- they are safe for consumption."

"While we respect the mission of these organizations to help prevent conditions like stroke and dementia, the authors of this study acknowledge that their conclusions do not -- and cannot -- prove cause and effect. And according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), many risk factors can increase an individual's likelihood of developing stroke and dementia including age, hypertension, diabetes and genetics. NIH does not mention zero calorie sweeteners as a risk factor."

"America's beverage companies support and encourage balanced lifestyles by providing people with a range of beverage choices — with and without calories and sugar — so they can choose the beverage that is right for them."

Lauren Kane, spokeswoman, American Beverage Association

"This article provides further evidence though on artificially sweetened beverages and their possible effects on vascular health, including stroke and dementia."

"We believe the pathways of which artificially sweetened beverages would affect the brain are probably through vascular mechanisms."

"When the authors controlled for hypertension and diabetes and obesity the effects diminish, which implies that some of the effects of artificially sweetened beverages could still be going through a vascular pathway."

"Many strokes are caused by hardening of arteries; and the risk of dementia is also increased by the hardening of arteries in large and small vessels. So, I believe the mechanisms may be through vascular disease, though we can't prove it."

Dr. Ralph Sacco, professor, chair of neurology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Sales of diet versions of soft drinks have boomed in recent years, with full-sugar drinks now retaining just 38% of the market. Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA

Scientific researchers into the popular consumption of diet drinks which use artificial sweeteners in place of sugar appear increasingly convinced that the advertising of these drinks as an answer to concerns over weight gain, attracting people who are interested in losing weight, are complicating these peoples' lives by making them more susceptible not only to weight gain, confounding expectations, but accelerating the onset of serious chronic diseases which have the effect of shortening life-spans.

 

The conventional wisdom that held soft drinks sweetened with artificial sweeteners in lieu of sugar aid a weight-loss diet is being turned on its head, however counter-intuitive that may seem. Artificial sweeteners used in the manufacture of soft drinks may instead, according to a great number of studies, increase weight through stimulation of sweet taste receptors, increasing appetite and cravings for sweet foods. A finding that artificially sweetened drinks increase body mass index in children resulted from a systematic review of 18 studies published in the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity.

Some increasingly common and serious health impacts are demonstrably impacted by diet soft drinks. For example, people with diabetes often reach for diet soft drinks in the belief they are an assist in managing blood sugar levels even though research shows these artificially sweetened drinks lead to glucose intolerance development, a condition thought to arise by intestinal bacteria being negatively affected. In other words artificial sweeteners may in fact promote diabetes in healthy people, according to research published in the journal Nature.

Another study concluded that consuming two or more sodas daily could double the occurrence risk of kidney disease and oddly enough the researchers involved in this study made the discovery that whether or not the soft drink was sugar sweetened or sweetened artificially the outcome was the same. Women who daily consume soft drinks end up with significantly reduced bone mineral density and according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition bone density saw no improvement in women using diet soft drinks.

Drinking one or more soft drinks daily, whether sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners was seen to increase the risk of stroke by 16 percent, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. An 8 percent increased risk of a stroke occasioned by artificially sweetened drinks was identified through a meta-analysis of 217 observational studies published in the International Journal of Clinical Practise, and when people who consumed the most of these drinks were compared to those who used the least, there was a 44 percent risk increase in vascular events.

Independent Co.U.K.

 

Manufacturers of these soft drinks were inspired to build a lucrative new market in the sale of artificially sweetened soft drinks, advertising them as a solution for weight control. It was an argument that people found irresistible; they could indulge in drinking nutritionally deficient, sweetened drinks without penalty of weight gain, yet this growing research body of evidence is negating these claims. 

 

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society where researchers followed 749 subjects over age 65 for close to ten years discovered that those consuming a daily soft drink added 3.05 centimetres to waist circumference, though occasional consumers added 1.76 cm. Those who never consume diet soft drinks in comparison, added 0.77 cm. Consideration was given to variables such that people struggling with weight gain being more likely to choose diet soft drinks.

A recent large-scale study out of Canada, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal reflects evidence that artificial sweeteners fail to accomplish intended benefits and may in fact increase risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This meta-analysis reviewed data from 30 studies following 405,907 people and seven controlled studies of 1,003 people where it was discovered artificial sweeteners had no significant benefit for body mass index.

As for the 30 studies which had followed their subjects for an average ten years, artificial sweeteners were seen to have been responsible for an increase in body mass index. The studies found artificial sweeteners to be associated however, with increases in weight, waist circumference, obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular events, metabolic syndrome, and Type 2 diabetes.

Diet coke -- Independent, U.K.

The Case Against Artificial Sweeteners as Sugar Substitutes

"I think a lot of people consuming them kind of assume they’re harmless because they contain zero calories. But what the evidence is suggesting is maybe there’s more to the story than that."
"The message is there isn’t strong evidence for a benefit from these products – and there’s potential evidence for harm."
"I’m going to say that you should drink water."
"The results [of the new review] showed a statistically significant association between consumption of artificial sweeteners and higher risks of diabetes, heart disease and increased weight gain."
"Given the widespread and increasing use of artificial sweeteners, and the current epidemic of obesity and related diseases, more research is needed to determine the long-term risks and benefits of these products." 
Dr.Meghan Azad, assistant professor of pediatrics and child health, University of Manitoba

Nonnutritive sweeteners such as those used in diet pop were associated with weight gain, a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes and other health problems, according to researchers from the University of Manitoba’s George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation.  (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal carried out by University of Manitoba researchers reviewing the effects of sugar substitutes in an effort to avoid using sugars in diet-conscious consumers' food choices has concluded that these artificial sweeteners may be responsible for making people gain weight, and increasing as well the onset risks inherent in high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.

While hard-and-fast evidence is as yet elusive, and the study's lead author calls for ongoing research, a leading theory is that the use of sweeteners changes the body's metabolic processes, leading to functional anomalies which confuse the brain and the body's capacity to respond to, and process sugar.

Artificial sweeteners like aspartame represent the most widely used food additives globally. They're found in over six thousand products worldwide as substitutes for sugar in "no sugar added" foods such as ice cream, yogurt and granola bars.

The presence of artificial sweeteners in foods is so ubiquitous that when urine and blood samples are taken from people who state they never use such additives, trace amounts nonetheless show up. "People are consuming them without knowing it", stated Dr. Azad, study lead author.
 

Diet Coke is poured on a Big Gulp cup at a 7-Eleven store     Joe Raedle / Getty Images

A study published in the journal Nature two years earlier had discovered that sugar substitutes act on gut bacteria. Mice fed saccharin for 11 weeks showed alterations in their gut microbiome, and became pre-diabetic, leading Dr. Azad to wonder whether evidence could be found for similar effects in people. This led her and her colleagues to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis (study of earlier studies) to assess the effects of long-term, regular consumption of sweeteners on cardio-metabolic health conditions.

Of 37 studies reviewed which reflected the involvement of over 400,000 people, seven of the studies represented randomized controlled trials involving approximately a thousand people followed for an average of six months. The studies concluded that sweeteners did not demonstrate a consistent effect of weight loss.

Another thirty longer and larger observational studies which had people responding with information relating to their use of artificial sweeteners and who were then followed for an average of ten years, showed a 14 percent rise in diabetes in "high" consumers (people having a diet soft drink at least once or more daily).
 

Artificial sweeteners are synthetic food additives that provide a sweet taste to mimic sugar, while containing significantly fewer calories. / Mario Tama/Getty Images

Compared to those reporting never or rarely consuming sugar substitutes, a 32 percent increased risk of coronary heart disease, heart failure and other cardiovascular problems assailed the artificial sweetener users who also evidenced a 31 percent increase in risk of metabolic syndrome, representing a group of conditions which include hypertension and abnormal cholesterol raising the risk of heart disease and stroke.