A study found those who drank diet pop every day had a 61 per cent higher chance of a heart attack or stroke than those who abstained from fizzy drinks
Sugar-free fizzy drinks could lead to a greater risk of a heart attack or stroke, research revealed today.
The study of more than 2,500 people found that those who consumed diet drinks every day had a 61 per cent higher chance of experiencing vascular problems than those who did not have any kind of carbonated drink.
Hannah Gardener, who led the study, said: 'If our results are confirmed with future studies, then it would suggest that diet soda may not be the optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages for protection against vascular outcomes.'
The research, presented at the American Stroke Association's international stroke conference in Los Angeles, was carried out by the University of Miami.
The 2,564 participants had to state whether they drank diet fizzy drinks, regular fizzy drinks, a mixture of the two or none at all.
Researchers said the survey did not include data on the types of diet and regular drinks consumed however, which could have given further information on how drinking different brands affected participants.
Dr Gardener, an epidemiologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said
further studies would have to be carried out to explore how consuming diet drinks potentially raised the risk of vascular problems.
Comment: Fluoridation is ineffective because:
1) Major dental researchers concede that fluoride's benefits are topical not systemic (Fejerskov 1981; Carlos 1983; CDC 1999, 2001; Limeback 1999; Locker 1999; Featherstone 2000).
2) Major dental researchers also concede that fluoride is ineffective at preventing pit and fissure tooth decay, which is 85 percent of the tooth decay experienced by children (JADA 1984; Gray 1987; White 1993; Pinkham 1999).
3) Several studies indicate that dental decay is coming down just as fast, if not faster, in non-fluoridated industrialized countries as fluoridated ones (Diesendorf, 1986; Colquhoun, 1994; World Health Organization, Online).
4) The largest survey conducted in the U.S. showed only a minute difference in tooth decay between children who had lived all their lives in fluoridated compared to non-fluoridated communities. The difference was not clinically significant nor shown to be statistically significant (Brunelle & Carlos, 1990).
5) The worst tooth decay in the U.S. occurs in the poor neighborhoods of our largest cities, the vast majority of which have been fluoridated for decades.
6) When fluoridation has been halted in communities in Finland, former East Germany, Cuba and Canada, tooth decay did not go up but continued to go down (Maupome et al, 2001; Kunzel and Fischer, 1997, 2000; Kunzel et al, 2000 and Seppa et al, 2000).