Many of us believe that diet drinks are safe and healthy. There have been articles over the years telling us that diet ingredients can cause health problems and then a year later another story tells us otherwise.
Aspartame (Sugar Substitute)
Aspartame is one ingredient that seems to have a life of its own regarding health and safety. The FDA has approved aspartame as a food additive. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/aspartame.html
The European Food Safety Authority also approves it as a food additive. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/search/site/aspartame Once upon a time there was concern that aspartame was carcinogenic, but other studies refuted those claims. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/artificial-sweeteners-fact-sheet
The Newest Study
A story that caught my eye today is about diet drinks and heart health. https://www.foxnews.com/health/artificially-sweet-beverages-heart-issues-study-says the results of the French NutriNet-Sante study, posted in the Journal of American College of Cardiology, states that drinks sweetened with sugar and artificially sweetened drinks can increase the risk of cardiovascular issues.
This ten-year study was done on over 100,000 participants found that strokes and heart attacks were higher when compared to those people who did not drink sweetened or artificially sweetened drinks.
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa246/5906559 has the details on this study.
What is Safe?
Moderation is generally safe if you have no pre-existing conditions. If you are overweight, diabetic, and have cardiovascular issues there might be a concern to totally abstain from drinks other than water and unsweetened teas. That is between you and your physician.
For several decades, I drink sodas regularly – several times daily on occasion. In my 50s, I decided to embark on losing weight and started the Atkins Diet which limited my sugar intake. I switched to diet sodas and lived on them for a few years. It did not take a decade before I found that I tolerated unsweetened teas. Diet drinks were scratched off my list.
Conclusion
Are naturally sweetened and artificially sweetened drinks hazardous to my health? I truly do not know. There are so many factors for evaluating health and food intake that it is difficult to know for sure.
As we age, our attention turns toward healthier options. I tend to believe that excessive amounts of sugar can be a health problem for many people. A person drinking more than a couple of cans/bottles of artificially sweetened drinks daily might walk over the line of health safety.
Where is that line of moderation in the number of drinks? Supersizing drinks at fast-food places is over the moderation line. If you are currently healthy and decide to drink naturally or artificially sweetened drinks, then use moderation – maybe one per day or every other day. If you are on any medications, consult your physician.
Life Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com
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