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Bad news for diet soda lovers: Artificially sweetened sodas can come with a heart-shaped price tag.
Published in the journal of the American Heart Association Circulation: Arrhythmia and ElectrophysiologyNew research from a Shanghai university hospital suggests there may be a link between regularly consuming significant amounts of diet soda and dangerously irregular heartbeats.
As the The Mayo Clinic explainsAtrial fibrillation, the medical term for irregular heartbeats, is associated with a group of symptoms that also include palpitations, fatigue, dizziness, and difficulty breathing.
Looking at a database cohort of more than 200,000 patients, the team composed primarily of endocrinology researchers at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital found that over a period of nearly 10 years, those who drank more than 2 liters of soft drinks with unsweetened sugar were significantly more likely to develop AF compared to those who drank fruit juice or regular soda.
Specifically, the study indicates that people who drank more than two liters of diet drinks per week were 20 percent more likely to develop AF than those who drank nothing, although researchers struggled to explain exactly why this might cause the condition. fear. heart-related symptoms.
If you’re thinking about switching back to regular soda, it’s not a perfect solution either. The Shanghai researchers also found that drinking more than two liters per week of conventionally sweetened cola caused a 10 percent increase in AF symptoms.
When looking at the portion of the cohort that drank only pure, unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice, the researchers found something even more fascinating: They seemed to have eight percent lower risk of developing irregular heartbeats than their counterparts who drink soda.
Although much research has been done on other negative health effects associated with diet sodas, noted Penn State nutritionist Penny Kris-Etherton in a Interview with cnn This seems to be the first to analyze its association with AF.
“We still need more research on these drinks to confirm these findings and fully understand the full health consequences of heart disease and other health conditions,” said Kris-Etherton, an American Heart Association contributor who did not work on the study. . cnn. “In the meantime, water is the best option and, according to this study, low- or no-calorie sweetened beverages should be limited or avoided.”
At the end of the day, drinking a bunch of diet soda probably isn’t as bad for your heart as, say, excessive alcohol consumptionBut the risk is serious enough to take seriously and make those pure fruit juices seem even tastier.
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