Artificially sweetened drinks linked to heart issues, study finds

Artificially sweetened beverages, a new study has found, are as bad for the heart as the sugar-laden kind.

A study by the nutritional epidemiology research team at the Sorbonne Paris Nord University, in a statement, said: "Artificially sweetened beverages may not be a healthy substitute for sugar drinks, and these data provide additional arguments to fuel the current debate on taxes, labeling and regulation of sugary drinks and artificially sweetened beverages."

Previously also, studies have said the same. A 2019 study found women who had more than two servings of sugary drinks a day -- defined as a standard glass, bottle or can -- had a 63% increased risk of premature death. Men who consumed more than two servings had a 29% increase in risk.

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The new research, published Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, analyzed data from over 100,000 adult French volunteers.

The volunteers were divided into three groups: nonusers, low consumers and high consumers of diet or sugary beverages.

Compared to people who didn't drink artificially sweetened beverages, high consumers were 20% more likely to have cardiovascular disease at any particular time. There was a similar result for higher consumers of sugary drinks when compared to nonusers, the researchers found.

The authors, however, said the study could only show an association between the two, not a direct cause.

Another 2019 study found drinking two or more of any kind of artificially sweetened drinks a day was linked to an increased risk of clot-based strokes, heart attacks and early death in women over 50.

Risks were highest for women with no history of heart disease or diabetes and women who were obese.

WHAT TO DO

But what to do if you are addicted?

Experts say drinking water, even if it's carbonated, is a good choice.

"Try infusing fruit into water -- you can purchase a pitcher, fill it with water, then add slices of oranges, lemons, strawberries, watermelon or whatever fruit you like so the water will become infused with the fruit flavor and provide sweetness to your palate," an expert said.

Try a short no-sugar challenge. Because our taste buds turn over every two weeks, we can teach ourselves to crave less sweet things in a short period of time.

Once past those first intense sugar cravings, your taste buds will adjust to find natural foods with sugar more satisfying.