According to a study published by researchers at Boston University, drinking at least one diet soft drink per day has been associated with a three times greater risk of having a stroke or developing dementia.
The study saw researchers analyse the data of 2900 people over the age of 45 for the stroke study and 1500 people over the age of 60 for the dementia study. Each participant in the study had their drinking and eating habits recorded at the start of the study and the results were followed up after 10 years.
At the end of the follow-up period, the researchers found 81 cases of dementia and 97 cases of stroke amongst the analysed groups. The people who drank at least one artificially sweetened beverage (diet soft drink) per day were three times as likely to develop an ischemic stroke and 2.9 times as likely to develop dementia.
The study did not find any link between sugary drinks and stroke or dementia.
‘Although we did not find an association between stroke or dementia and the consumption of sugary drinks, 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,’ said lead author Matthew Pase.
Will you reconsider drinking diet soft drinks after reading the information from this study?
Read more at skynews.com.au
Read more at smh.com.au
Read more at bu.edu
Related articles:
Dementia: vaccine breakthrough
Stroke stats in your postcode
Dementia stigma cause for concern