American Stroke Association a new report has been revealed about the dramatic rise of strokes among young Americans. In the new study there appears to be a link between diet soda intake and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Different researches had been conducted on the matter. Federal records from a sample of hospitals from 41 different states were examined. The finding from years 1994-95 in comparison to 2006-07 told that stroke has increased about 51 percent among males and 17 percent among females, of ages 15-34.
In another study, more than 2,500 people, including diet soda drinkers, were taken into account. These people have been tracked for their health for nearly 10 years. Initially the participants were asked to fill a standard survey about their diet habits. In the 10 years, there were 559 strokes and 338 of them were fatal. The people who drank diet soda daily had a 61 percent increased risk of cardiovascular issues, as compared to those who desisted soda.
The study has no chemical or biological explanation for why diet soda may be risky. Many doctors think it could be that people with daily soda intake also suffer from weight issues, drink more alcohol or have other risk factors like high blood pressure and smoking, while, the researchers controlled these and many other factors during the study and didn’t notice any change in the trend.
It is widely recognized that soda drinks are associated with a variety of health issues but the study did not find a link between regular sodas and strokes. The regular soda doesn’t contain Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, which is known to be the source of complaints even more than any other food addictive. It is also proved that Aspartame has been found to increase carbohydrate cravings which results in weight gain.
Since, the study was initially based on a questionnaire; it generated some criticism by experts. Also, it does not show causation but suggests a link. A more persuasive reason can be the caramel coloring found in diet drinks which has been successfully linked to vascular problems. Some earlier studies show that diet soda causes metabolic syndrome that is directly related to heart diseases.
Since the studies surfaced in a conference many doctors are calling for caution and want more studies to be done before completely cutting down diet soda from the lives of people. Those who have risk factors, like family history, should avoid soda until any further study. Those who want to keep themselves safe from the hazards of Aspartame should use Stevia and Xylitol are safe natural sweeteners which are available in food products.
