The Particulars: Sweetened beverages have been associated with weight gain, diabetes, and coronary heart disease in previous studies. Whether diet soft drinks are also associated with cardiovascular events has yet to be determined.
Data Breakdown: Researchers conducting the Women’s Health Initiative examined participants’ diet soft drink consumption as well as their risk for cardiovascular events and cardiac death. Women who reported drinking at least two 12-ounce diet drinks per day were 29% more likely than those who reported drinking no more than three diet drinks a month to have a fatal or nonfatal cardiac event. Women in the highest intake group also had a 26% elevated likelihood of all-cause mortality when compared with women in the lowest intake group.
Take Home Pearls: Women who consume at least two diet drinks per day appear to have at a modestly elevated risk for cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality, when compared with women who consume less than three such beverages per month. Additional research is needed to establish the cause of this relationship.
