Consumption Of Artificially-Sweetened Beverages May Be Linked To Higher Risk Of Stroke, Dementia, Study Suggests.

reports that the study, published in Stroke, found that individuals “who drank at least one artificially-sweetened beverage a day had almost three times the risk of developing stroke or dementia.” The researchers “did not find the same link between stroke and dementia in people who drank sugar-sweetened beverages, but the authors say that doesn’t mean it’s time for people to start” consuming “those either.” The researchers controlled for several other risk factors, including age, sex, caloric intake, education, diabetes, and the presence of genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s. The results showed that people who consumed at least one artificially-sweetened drink a day were three times as likely to develop ischemic stroke and 2.9 times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease dementia. MAYBE they impact cravings, gut microbes, and hormones leading to more systemic inflammation that impacts the brain??? In addition to being an observational study which cannot prove cause and effect, the authors note the study several other limitations, including that the overwhelming majority of participants were white. People did not drink sugary drinks as often as diet ones, which the authors said could be one reason they did not see the same link with regular soda. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/diet-soda-dementia-stroke-heart-risks-new-study/