Negative health impact of diet soda
Posted: 02/06/2012
Diet soda has been linked to a host of adverse health effects.
The biggest problem is it can cause is an increased risk of stroke and heart attack, even in people who drank just one diet soda a day.
Dr. Karen Boyle with GBMC says that could be because when you drink diet soda, you can feel more free to eat poorly.
Diet soda is also linked to metabolic syndrome which is a combination of cardiac risk factors like heart disease, hypertension, and elevated triglycerides.
Diet soda can also lead to obesity by impacting your insulin and acting on your brain to make you crave sweet things that you aren’t getting in your drink.
Also, it contains caffeine, an artificial stimulant that can trigger stress hormones and cause weight gain.
A new study shows it can also alter estrogen levels in younger women.
Diet soda is acidic and can adversely affect teeth and bones, leading to osteoporosis.
Dr. Boyle offers these recommendations to cut down on diet soda.
Don’t drink your calories, if you are drinking soda or diet soda, then you aren’t drinking things you should be like water and milk.
Substitute water or seltzer water for your soda.
Try to give up soda altogether but if you can’t remember moderation is key, limit soda to just a few times a week.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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