Diet Soda Please: Are They Really Healthier?

Diet or regular? Perhaps like everyone else, it was an innocent choice particularly because you opted for a diet soda instead of a regular one. However, a new study shows that even a diet soda can put you at higher risk for early death. 

The study included nearly half a million people from all over Europe and so far the largest of its kind. People who consumed more than a glass of soda -- regular or diet -- were 17% more likely to die within the two-decade study compared to those who consumed only a glass, the study shows. 

The findings held true even after the study took into account the other factors that come into play that could affect people's risk of premature death. Smoking, alcohol intake, physical activities (or the lack of it) as well as the Body Mass Index (BMI), consumption of vegetables and fruits, and calorie intake are all calculated for the risk of early death. 

However, the study only found an association between early death and soda intake, but not a clear connection to establish that it is the root cause of early death. The results that were published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal on September 3 states that there are ongoing campaigns that show support to reduce the consumption of softdrinks altogether. The authors of the study are from the International Agency for Research on Cancer as part of the World Health Organization (WHO). 

The study is another addition to the growing number of studies that link soda consumption to high risks of chronic diseases and early death. In March of this year, another study published in the journal Circulation shows the link between the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages to increase risks of early death among women and men in the US. The study also found a link between early deaths among women and the consumption of diet sodas.  

In this new study, information was collected from 450,000 people living in about 10 European countries. Every participant was checked to make sure they were not suffering from heart disease, cancer, diabetes or stroke. Everyone reported their soda consumption -- regular or diet. They were followed for 16 years and within that given period, already 41,700 of the participants died. 

Among those who reported consuming at least two bottles or cans of softdrinks per day, already 11% of them died. Only 9% died from among those who reported to be consuming less soda per month. Interestingly, people who have a preference of drinking diet soda are those that are likely to die from cardiovascular diseases while those who consume regular soda are likely to die from digestive diseases. 

While the connection between diet soda consumption and early death still needs to be clearer, authors note that it may help lessen the risk of early death if people opt to lessen their soda consumption.