Diet Coke may seem the best alternative for soft drinks with a high sugar level. However, researchers and other experts are currently alarmed by these artificially sweetened drinks and other sugary beverages.
Bottles of Diet Coke are displayed before the start of the baseball game with the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves at AT&T Park July 24, 2007 in San Francisco, California. A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association states that drinking diet soda can increase the risk of "metabolic syndrome," a contributor to heart disease and diabetes, by 48 percent.
They claim that diet drinks increase the risk of heart disease by up to 20%. The new study explained that they're as bad for your heart as the full-sugar versions.
The team consists of French researchers, who tracked more than 104,000 people over the past ten years to observe their sugary or sugar-free soft drinks consumption.
According to the Dailymail UK's latest report, the scientists discovered that the participants are more likely to develop heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes compared to the individuals who avoid the beverages.
Artificially sweetened beverages alter metabolism
The new study revealed that people who consumed lots of low-sugar diet drinks had the same heart disease risk as those who drank full-sugar beverages. On the other hand, the individuals who consumed sugary drinks or artificially sweetened ones were 20% likely to develop heart issues than those who only drink tea, coffee, or water.
Xuan Trent (L) and David Trent of Nevada get bottles of soda at a concession stand at Cinemark's Century 16 at the South Point Hotel & Casino on August 14, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cinemark reopened some of its movie theaters across the country today, with new safety precautions in place, for the first time since closing in March because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. According to Cinemark, enhanced cleaning operations now include daily disinfection of auditoriums, sanitizing high-traffic spaces every 30 minutes, and cleaning all occupied seats in reduced-capacity theaters between every show. Showtimes are staggered to prevent crowding in hallways, lobbies and restrooms, and when tickets are purchased, adjacent seats are blocked off.
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Nonetheless, experts are more concerned about the drinks' effects on the body's metabolism. They said that the products increase the speed at which sugar is absorbed.
Diet drinks also affect pregnant women
According to Medical News Bulleting's latest report, diet drinks also harm pregnant women. Instead of helping the mothers lose their weight, they increase weight gain, leading to a cesarian section.
Diet sodas can also increase the chance of gestational diabetes, which is the most common metabolic pregnancy complication that affects 16% of pregnancies around the world.
"The high-intensity artificial sweeteners may exacerbate glucose intolerance, compared to regular sugar," said Dr. Cuilin Zhang, the study's primary author.
"This increases intestinal absorption of glucose, and promotes excessive intake and weight gain by altering the sweet taste and caloric reward," he added.
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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.
