According to a study, eating artificially sweetened food and taking drinks on a daily basis is associated with increased risk of developing a stroke or dementia.
It is important to know the side effects of sugar addiction. Consumption of too much sugar can lead to health conditions like cardiovascular disorders, diabetes mellitus, obesity, tooth decay, and other serious health issues. That’s why many health conscious people have stopped consuming beverages that contain a lot of added sugar. Instead of consuming beverages with corn syrup and high fructose content, they switch to diet beverages. These drinks are not actually less sweet; they have usually sweetened artificially with chemicals containing few or no calories i.e. diet soda, but experts say that the diet soda is not good for health.
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Diet soda linked to Stroke and Dementia risk
According to the study, people who drink artificially sweetened drinks like diet soda daily are more likely to develop stroke or dementia as compared to those who drink it weekly.
Soda is among the top five most popular drinks all over the world. A study found that sugary beverages account for 47% of all added sugars in the diet of Americans and they are one of the biggest soda consumers.
A majority of people believe that by consuming diet soda, they have put their step forward towards reducing sugar intake which is a good thing. People should be cautious about over consuming diet soda, just because of the label, diet doesn’t mean they are a healthy alternative to sugary beverages. The artificial sweeteners in the drinks reduce the number of calories from sugar content. However, these artificial sweeteners composed of chemicals that pose a danger of their own.
Research takes place by American Heart Association’ s journal stroke to determine that sugar and artificially sweetened soft drinks increase the risk of stroke and dementia. At the end of the study, researchers found that while the artificially sweetened beverages had no significant impact on health condition, people who consumed diet soda containing artificial sweeteners on a regular basis were almost thrice as likely to develop ischemic stroke and dementia (Alzheimer’s disease) as compared to people who didn’t regularly drink them.
More about artificially sweetened drinks
This is not the first disadvantage of using artificially sweetened beverages; there are some more.
- A study conducted in 2009 found that regular consumption of diet soda is associated with the development of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
- Drinking diet soda daily can double the risk of renal insufficiency.
- It has been studied that both regular and diet cola contains phosphoric acid and can twice the risk of chronic renal disorders.
- Another research to study the effects of regular soft drink consumption found correlations with obesity, dental cavities, hypertension, low blood calcium levels, kidney and urinary stones.
- Another study conducted to determine the effects of diet soft drinks and it has been found that drinking two cans a day can significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular events.
- One of the most common artificial sweeteners Aspartame has been known to cause lymphoma and leukemia. Sucralose has been also found to give rise to leukemia and malignant tumors. It has a negative impact on gut bacteria that plays a vital role in digestion.
- An artificial sweetener could be the reason behind your headache.
- Various studies negate that diet soda helps you lose weight. It does not help you maintain weight, but regular consumption is linked to obesity.
- Diet soda is composed of chemical that increases insulin response, which affects blood sugar levels and encourages internal inflammation.
If you need a reason to stop drinking artificially sweetened drinks, look no further. A study conducted in 2014 concluded that those women who drink more than two diet beverages daily were more likely to die prematurely.
Health Alternatives
There are so many beneficial beverages that are tasty and healthy at the same time. You can choose maple syrup, coconut palm sugar, licorice root, and honey to satisfy your sweet hunger. You can also opt for coffee in moderate amount, iced or hot green teas, and of course the best drink: water.
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If you find the flavor lacking while drinking water, you can add the goodness of herbs and fruits into it. It will be an added health booth that will help you maintain weight. Note that artificial beverages, including high fructose, corn syrups, and other fancy alternates will not going to help you in any way; they are of no use. Drop the idea of getting a sweet drink containing artificial sweeteners to satisfy your sweet tooth. Instead, try your hand at making beverages with natural sweeteners at your home. You will find homemade drinks tasty and full of gut-healthy probiotics.
