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Bad news for diet soda lovers: Artificially sweetened soft drinks can come with a heart-shaped price tag.
It was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association Blood circulation: arrhythmia and electrophysiologyA new study from Shanghai Teaching Hospital suggests there may be a link between regular consumption of large amounts of diet soda and dangerous heart rhythm abnormalities.
as a Mayo Clinic explains.Atrial fibrillation, the medical term for an irregular heartbeat, is also associated with a group of symptoms that include palpitations, fatigue, dizziness and shortness of breath.
Looking at a database of more than 200,000 patients, the team, which consisted mainly of endocrinology researchers at the Ninth People’s Hospital in Shanghai, found that those who drank more than 2 liters of soda with non-sugary sweeteners over a 10-year period were more likely to drink. compared to drinking fruit juice or regular soda to develop a-fib.
Specifically, the study found that those who drank more than two liters of diet soda per week were 20 percent more likely to develop A-fib than those who did not – although the researchers struggled to explain exactly why it could be the cause of the dreaded heart-related symptoms.
If you’re considering switching to regular soda, that’s not a perfect solution either. The Shanghai researchers also found that drinking more than two liters of sweetened cola per week increased a-fib symptoms by 10 percent.
When the researchers looked at the portion of the group that drank only pure, unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice, the researchers found something even more surprising: Eight percent appeared to have Lower Risk of having an irregular heartbeat than their soda-drinking counterparts.
When a lot of research is done Other negative health effects Along with diet sodas, Penn State nutritionist Penny Chris-Etherton at A Interview with CNN This appears to be the first time he has looked at the association with a-fib.
“We still need more research on these drinks to confirm these findings, and to fully understand the health consequences of heart disease and other health conditions,” said Kris-Etherton, MD, director of the American Heart Association, who was not involved in the study. CNN. “Until then, water is the best choice, and based on this research, no and low-calorie sweetened beverages should be limited or avoided.”
At the end of the day, drinking copious amounts of diet soda still probably isn’t bad for your heart, say. Drinking too much alcoholBut the danger is enough to be taken seriously – and to make those pure fruit juices even more delicious.
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