A recent study conducted at Boston University showed that the daily consumption of diet soda triples the risk of stroke and dementia. The study, titled “Sugar and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and the Risks of Incident Stroke and Dementia, A Prospective Cohort Study,” was published in the journal Stroke.
It analyzed data from about 3,000 adults for 10 years, divided into two categories: older than 45 years old, where they evaluated the stroke risk, and older than 60, where they concentrated on dementia.
Interestingly, researchers discovered that sugar-sweetened beverages were not linked to stroke or dementia-like artificially sweetened beverages are.
According to Sudha Seshadri, MD, senior study author, a neurology professor and faculty member at Boston University’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center:
“These studies are not the be-all and end-all, but it’s strong data and a very strong suggestion. It looks like there is not very much of an upside to having sugary drinks, and substituting the sugar with artificial sweeteners doesn’t seem to help. Maybe good old-fashioned water is something we need to get used to.”
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