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Bad news for diet soda lovers. Soft drinks with artificial sweeteners may have heart-shaped price tags.
Published in the American Heart Association magazine Circulation: Arrhythmia and electrophysiologya new study from a teaching hospital in Shanghai suggests there may be a link between drinking large amounts of diet soda on a regular basis and dangerously irregular heartbeats.
as Mayo Clinic explainsa medical term for irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation is associated with a range of symptoms including palpitations, fatigue, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
A team led by endocrine researchers at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital examined a database cohort of more than 200,000 patients and found that over a nearly 10-year period, 2 liters of non-sugar sweetened carbonated beverages They found that patients who drank more than People who drink fruit juice or regular carbonated drinks are less likely to develop A-FIB.
Specifically, the study shows that people who drink two or more liters of diet drinks per week are 20 percent more likely to develop A-FIB than those who don’t drink at all, but why? Researchers have struggled to explain exactly why this causes the terrifying symptoms. Heart-related symptoms.
If you’re thinking of going back to regular soda, that’s not the perfect solution either. Researchers in Shanghai also found that drinking more than two liters of conventional sweetened cola per week was associated with a 10 percent increase in A-FIB symptoms.
When the researchers looked at the portion of the cohort that drank only pure, unsweetened fruit or vegetable juices, they noticed something even more interesting. lower They have a higher risk of developing an arrhythmia than people who drink carbonated drinks.
Although many studies have been conducted, Other adverse health effects Penny Chris Etherton, a nutritionist at Pennsylvania State University, pointed to the link to diet soda. Interview CNN This appears to be the first time a link to a-fib has been investigated.
“Further research on these beverages is still needed to confirm these results and fully understand all the health effects on heart disease and other health conditions,” said a researcher who was not involved in the study. said American Heart Association contributor Chris Etherton. CNN. “Water is the best choice for now, and based on this study, non-calorie and low-calorie sweetened beverages should be limited or avoided.”
After all, drinking large amounts of diet soda probably won’t have any negative effects on your heart. excessive alcohol intakeBut the risk is serious enough to be taken seriously, and makes pure fruit juice seem tastier.
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