New Study: Diet soft drinks and artificial sweeteners linked to heart problems

NEWS ALERT: Are you a fan of diet soft drinks? You know, the ones that say ‘zero sugar’ on the bottle and claim to be healthier than the full sugar stuff? A new study has found that it might be time to put them back on the shelf.

This 10-year study that included more than 104,000 people found that artificially sweetened drinks could be just as bad for you as the full-sugar versions.  

The ongoing study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that participants who consumed sugary drinks, including those with artificial sugars had a higher risk of cardiovascular illness. The study also found that those opting for artificially sweetened drinks are up to 20% more likely to suffer heart disease, stroke or heart attacks than people avoiding artificial sugars altogether.  

What are artificial sugars? 

We all know that sugar is bad. It’s linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, inflammation and a load of other nasty side effects. That's why a lot of food and drink companies use artificial sweeteners to sweeten their products instead. Artificial sweeteners are chemicals that provide a similar taste to table sugar, so companies can use them while claiming their product has ‘zero sugar’ in it.

This is where things get tricky. There has been a huge rise in the use of artificial sweeteners lately, with lots of people cottoning on that sugar is bad and looking for an easy replacement. While artificial sweeteners are often virtually calorie-free, increased consumption of these sweeteners and ‘diet’ foods isn't as rosy as it may seem.  

Artificial sweeteners have been linked to increased appetite and sugar cravings. They’re also no good for your gut health and ironically, can even cause weight gain.