This weeks topic of the week.
A 2011 Study found that people who drank a diet soda daily had a 48% increase in strokes and a 61% increase of any “cardiovascular event”. These include strokes, heart attacks and blood clots.
The Northern Manhattan Study was first presented at the American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference and published in Journal of General Internal Medicine. The ten year study followed 2,564 people over the age of 40.
People that drank a regular soda daily did not have any increase risk.
The study did not give any hypothesis for why there was an increase.
In his book, While Science Sleeps, Woodrow Monte PhD does give a mechanism for how diet soda can cause cardiovascular disease. He explains that aspartame gets converted to methanol and then formaldehyde in our bodies. The formaldehyde, once it gets into the bloodstream will irritate the lining of the blood vessels and create eruptions and blockages.
He warns that in addition to aspartame, we should also avoid other methanol containing food and substances including cigarettes, canned vegetable and fruit (and juices, though fresh is OK).
In my practice, aspartame will never test beneficial, and will frequently test harmful. I recommend reading labels and avoiding aspartame.
References:
Diet Soda: Fewer Calories, Greater Stroke Risk?
Diet soda linked to strokes and vascular disorders
http://www.whilesciencesleeps.com/
Is there a link between diet soda and heart disease?
Diet Soft Drink Consumption is Associated with an Increased Risk of Vascular Events in the Northern Manhattan Study
Yours in Health,
Dr. Michael
Diet Soda Increases Stroke Risk