Study: Diet Soda May Carry Heart Risks

Researchers Surprised To Find Diet Sodas Carry Same Risks As Regular Sodas

(CBS/AP)  People who drank more than one diet soda each day developed the same risks for heart disease as those who downed sugary regular soda, suggests a large but inconclusive study.

The results surprised the researchers who expected to see a difference between regular and diet soda drinkers. It could be, they suggest, that even no-calorie sweet drinks increase the craving for more sweets, and that people who indulge in sodas probably have less healthy diets overall.

The study's senior author, Dr. Vasan Ramachandran, emphasized the findings don't show diet sodas are a cause of increased heart disease risks. But he said they show a surprising link that must be studied.

"It's intriguing, and it begs an explanation by people who are qualified to do studies to understand this better," said Vasan, of Boston University School of Medicine.

However, a nutrition expert dismissed the study's findings on diet soda drinkers.

"There's too much contradictory evidence that shows that diet beverages are healthier for you in terms of losing weight that I would not put any credence to the result on the diet (drinks study)," said Barry Popkin, of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, who has called for cigarette-style surgeon general warnings about the negative health effects of soda.

Susan Feely, president of the American Beverage Association, said the notion that diet drinks are associated with bulging waistlines defies common sense.

"How can something with zero calories that's 99 percent water with a little flavoring in it ... cause weight gain?" she said.

The research comes from a massive, multi-generational heart study following residents of Framingham, Mass., a town about 25 miles west of Boston. The new study of 9,000 observations of middle-aged men and women was published Monday online in the journal Circulation.

The researchers found those who drank more than soda per day — diet or regular — had an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, compared with those who drank less than one soda. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms that increase the risk for heart disease, including large waistlines and higher levels of blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and blood fats called triglycerides.

At the start of the study, those who reported drinking more than one soft drink a day had a 48 percent increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome compared to those who drank less soda.

Of participants who initially showed no signs of metabolic syndrome, those who drank more than one soda per day were at 44 percent higher risk of developing it four years later, they reported.

Researchers expected the results to differ when regular soda and diet soda drinkers were compared, and were surprised when they did not, Vasan said.

But Popkin said that result isn't that surprising. He said much of the market for diet sodas are people who have unhealthy lifestyles and know they need to lose weight — with the other portion being thin people who want to stay that way. That means many people drinking diet sodas have unhealthy habits that could lead to increased heart disease risks, whether they drink diet soda or not.

In studies in which some users were randomly given diet sodas and others were given regular soda, diet soda drinkers lost weight and regular soda drinkers gained weight, Popkin said.

In a statement, the American Heart Association said it supports dietary patterns that include low-calorie beverages.

"Diet soda can be a good option to replace caloric beverages that do not contain important vitamins and minerals," the association said, adding further study is needed before any association between diet soda and heart risk factors would lead to public recommendations.

Vasan also said poor overall health habits may be one reason diet soda drinkers did not show lower heart disease risks in the Framingham study, but there hasn't been enough research to say for sure.

Another possible reason is a controversial theory called "dietary compensation," which holds that if someone drinks a large amount of liquids at a meal, they aren't satisfied and will tend to eat more at the next meal, Vasan said.

Other theories, Vasan said, are that people who drink a large amount of sweetened drinks are prone to develop a taste for sweeter foods, or that the substance that gives soda its caramel color promotes resistance to insulin, which is needed to process calories.

Without a more definitive explanation, Vasan offers only this advice to diet soda drinkers: "Consume in moderation and stayed tuned for more research."

Meredith Weise told CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook she was hooked on soda, drinking eight glasses a day.

"My blood pressure went high and I felt very dehydrated," Weise said.

But she has cut her habit and is now down to three or four sodas a day, dropping 53 pounds in the process.

[erasmus6]

Aspartame can also contribute to panic attacks.

[erasmus6]

Reactions to Aspartame (NutraSweet)include headaches, mood swings, changes in vision, nausea and diarrhea, sleep disorders, memory loss and confusion and convulsions.
It is VERY dangerous for children.

[themurph2000]

Sorry all you people on here supporting the drinks industry but Mr Hoppy is quite correct. Two major supermarket chains in the UK are banning all products containing ASPARTAME following a report by a government watchdog that it is causing serious problems in young children. Mr Hoppy is right regarding the involvement with Rumsfelt and the FDA after Reagan was elected. The FDA had previously banned this junk until Rummy was in a position to change the ruling.
Posted by drinuk at 04:16 AM : Jul 25, 2007

Actually, I'm not. I agreed with the Chicago Public Schools when they got rid of the soda machines in schools. (Too bad the kids starting walking off campus to a nearby convenience store and bought them there.) It was the "Bush Conspiracy" stuff that I found laughable.

[drinuk]

Sorry all you people on here supporting the drinks industry but Mr Hoppy is quite correct. Two major supermarket chains in the UK are banning all products containing ASPARTAME following a report by a government watchdog that it is causing serious problems in young children. Mr Hoppy is right regarding the involvement with Rumsfelt and the FDA after Reagan was elected. The FDA had previously banned this junk until Rummy was in a position to change the ruling.

[dovestar]

I remember a study came out a few years ago back when everything and its brother was accused of causing cancer in laboratory rats. This study asserted that cyclamates, the ingredient used back then in artificial sweeteners, caused cancer. This created quite a scare at the time, however, what they aparently forgot to tell you was that aperson would have to drink several CASES of diet drink per day in order to be affected.

And we're still swallowing this garbage?

[themurph2000]

I would echo what has been posted already: everything in moderation, get exercise, and eat healthy. I'll be the first to admit I'm hooked on diet soda (I have my dad to thank for that). I do have very unhealthy eating habits. But the two are mutually exclusive. I had bad eating habits years before I hit the diet soda.

Unfortunately, there's not a lot of studies that look at the big picture in our world. Our lifestyles have grown more sedentary, with the advance of television, computers, and conveniences such as the Internet. If you wanted something from the store, you had to walk there. Because most families are two-income now, there's not enough time to monitor our kids' after-school activities (to say nothing about the reduction in physical activity in schools due to budget cuts) or make healthy eating choices night in and night out. We're too quick to go to the pre-packaged, zap it in the microwave food or order from the nearest pizza place. It's much harder in this day and age to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and people have to put more effort in to stay healthy than they used to. It takes a phenomenal effort, but we have to do it.

I wish there was a magic bullet that would solve this, but we're kidding ourselves waiting around for it. We have to do it the old fashioned way: hard work. It ain't political: it's ourselves.

[themurph2000]

I'm thinkin' Mr. Hoppy either is doing this to geta rise out of people or doesn't check his organic mushrooms too closely.

Assuming it's the latter (as the former argument makes all of this irrelevant anyway) I find it funny that he forgot that aspartame was developed by Searle Labs in the late 1970's after obtaining FDA approval to develop it in 1974, 3 years BEFORE Rumsfeld was CEO there. So, basically, during the CARTER administration was the major legwork of aspartame done. It was introduced to the public in early 1981. (That's from two sources nowhere near Wikipedia, which is a user-driven encyclopedia.)

Now he is right in saying that diet soda contains benzene, which is a carcinogen. The average 12 oz diet soda contains between 0.2 and 3.1 micrograms of benzene. To compare, this is roughly one tenth of the benzene you take when when you fill up your car with gas and about 1% of the benzene you take in everyday by breathing.

Now there WERE beverages that contained unhealthy levels of benzene. 4 out of 150 beverages, all of which are off the market. Only 2 beverages sold here contain more benzene than the standard for drinking water, meaning that not every diet beverage can exceed the benzene standard for water in the US (which is twice as strict at the World Health Organization)

Shall we debate the moon landings now? My advice, less Rense.com for you.

Gee, sound the alarm bells.

[sjw1253]

This study is very weak. I have a lot of respect for Framingham - but the fact is there are so many variables that are not described that otherwise provide stronger risks to heart disease.

Clearly the artificial sweetners need to be addressed as they are "artificial"... HELLOOO!!!

The fact is that anything in moderation... Excess of anything is bad...

[bobebenson]

Stay away from milk people. It will also kill you. So will cigars, chocolate, too much exercise, worrying, etc. Get the message ????? You only come around this life once. Enjoy everything in moderation. And the best advice..........don't put too much faith in surveys and so called people studies. They don't mean anything.
Posted by elgraz at 11:13 PM : Jul 23, 2007
.............

AMEN TO THAT!

As Mary Baker Eddy said, ".....The great question arises: is there less sickness in the world because of these practioners?"

Besides, think of all the ladies on the Titanic who let the dessert cart pass by!

[erasmus6]

DonkeyHouse

"Weight gain from something that has zero calories is illogical."

It may be illogical but it is a fact. I lost 20 pounds when I quit drinking diet pop. I did nothing else. I didn't cut back on what I was eating or change what I was eating, so how would you explain that?

[minminmin-2009]

I quit drinking all sodas years ago, and I'm glad I did. Now I just drink water, tea (iced tea if I want a cold drink) and 100% juices (no sugar or anything else added). You don't have to be a dietician or a chemist to figure out the more a food/drink is processed (chemicals added/removed), the worse it will be for you.

[donkeyhouse]

Weight gain from something that has zero calories is illogical.

[family2007-2009]

RedStripe12,

Quote:
"I have been pop-free for almost 10 months now (and I used to drink caffeine-free diet Coke like it was going out of style--2-5 cans daily min.). I have lost 25 pounds in that time."

I concur with you. I was able to lose weight as well--even when my diet consisted ONLY of cutting back on the soda (both regular AND diet), and turning to water. When I went back to my old habits (it's around 2 cans a day now), I started gaining weight again.

I'm not preaching this to anyone, this is solely from my own experience. Your milage may vary.

[donkeyhouse]

How many fat pigs do you know that drink diet soda with 2 super sized meals? This is such a bogus study and irresponsible "journalism". There is no accountability anymore. "suggests a large but inconclusive study..."

[talkingham]

As if the high frutose corn syrup wasn't enough (and it's in a lot of those so-called fitness waters- what a joke!) the acids added to soft drinks now to "unsweetnen" the insanely sweet artificial sweeteners and 12 spoons of corn syrup per drink is something even dental researchers have been compaining about. I don't think Coke and Pepsi will sit by on this- they'll run out their bought-off nutritionists to say everything is fine. But it's not, and kids who don't know any better are the one's whose health will suffer in years to come as they slug down fast food slop and pizza by the pound. Healthanomics in this country are a sad joke and your health is sold to the lowest bidder and big drug companies and TV networks who make out like bandits every night with their commercials telling you that you aren't a healthy person day after day. An you know what, if you eat they slop they serve up you can't be a healthy person.

[my2centss]

Make soda like they used to. Go back to real sugar, citric acid(instead of phosphoric acid), no sodium benzoate, and no artificial colors/flavors. Then we might see a difference in health.

[redstripe12]

I have been pop-free for almost 10 months now (and I used to drink caffeine-free diet Coke like it was going out of style--2-5 cans daily min.). I have lost 25 pounds in that time. Several other things I noticed:

1) I could taste sodium in my food
2) My appetite decreased
3) My craving for sugar decreased
4) My energy level went up
5) Increase in sexual desire / stamina

Not to say that pop was causing all of my ills, but I'm convinced giving it up completely is one of the best lifestyle changes one can make.

Also, do not let your kids drink pop! Water, soy milk or freshly squeezed juice are the best options, IMHO.

[mrhoppy-2009]

GrammaWhamma - Telling who made aspartame (Rumsfelds Searle Labs) that the pentagon listed it as a chem/bio warfare agent and why they are putting it into the food that the poor tend to consume is not a political debate... I don't drink, use drugs, weight 165 LBS, am 50 years old and unlike you, am capable of critical thinking and have more to offer than baseless slander. Are you an aspartame junkie or just shilling for the Nazis?

Since aspartame breaks down into methanol and methanol is an excitotoxin which means it is addictive, it is no wonder that people won't / can't stop drinking it. Meth is meth.

Alcohol is allowed to be up to 3% methyl alcohol and methyl alcohol is what makes an alcoholic, not the grain alcohol. I.e., 100 proof means 50% grain alcohol and 1.5% methyl alcohol.

Telling an aspartame junkie is like going into a bar and telling a drunk "quit drinking, that stuff will kill you." They don't want to hear it.

[erasmus6]

Actually I am pretty sure the aspartame has pickled his brain because he drinks diet pop because he is diabetic but keeps on eating everything else, like pie, cake, cookies, candy....go figure!

[erasmus6]

I quit drinking pop years ago and just started drinking water. I bought a juicer recently so now once and awhile I will make my own juice. When I quit drinking the pop I lost 20 pounds.

My husband on the other hand drinks diet Pepsi. I keep telling him he needs to quit drinking it but it ain't going to happen. He is a diabetic and one day a few years ago he started getting dizzy. We thought maybe it was an inner ear problem. Anyways he ended up going to the emergency and they ran a bunch of tests on him, they thought maybe it was his heart. In the end they figured he was dehydrated. The caffeine in the pop can dehydrate you and I guess with him being a diabetic, it made it worse.
I keep telling him the aspartame in the diet pop is going to pickle his brain. (actually i think it already has):)