Another Strike Against Diet Soda

If you’ve been looking for a reason to nix your soda-drinking habits, the latest research may offer you the perfect inspiration.
Drinking a single can of diet soda each day can increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke, reports a recent study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
The researchers monitored the soda-drinking habits of more than 2,500 individuals and compared them with the number of vascular events—heart attacks and strokes—that occurred over a 10-year period. After factoring in pre-existing conditions—diabetes, high blood pressure, BMI, and others—they found that those who were downing diet drinks on a daily basis were 43 percent more likely to experience a vascular event than those who drank none. But people who drank anywhere between 6 diet sodas per week and 1 diet soda per month had the same risk as people who never drank soda.
More from MensHealth.com: What Your Soda Can Doesn’t Tell You
What’s even more surprising: In contrast to previous research, the report found no association between regular soft drink consumption and risk of  vascular events.
So what does this mean for you? Frankly, very little. The research only found an association between drinking diet and having a heart attack or stroke—that doesn’t mean diet soda causes heart attack or strokes.  Since no other studies have found a link between diet soft drink consumption and heart attacks, more research is needed, explains lead researcher Hannah Gardner, PhD, from the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami.
The researchers have several theories for the connection. Even though they adjusted for weight at the beginning of the study, they didn’t collect weight measurements at the end of the 10 years or throughout the study. Since diet soda has also been linked to weight gain, it’s possible that the diet drinkers gained more weight, which increased their heart risks. (Again, just a theory.) And as we reported in our story The Truth About Diet Soda, diet soda drinkers may have worse dietary patterns overall. (Although the researchers conducted dietary surveys to adjust for this, food surveys are notoriously unreliable.) Basically, no one knows for sure what’s going on.
So what do you do while scientists search for a solution? Simple: Make H₂O your main beverage. (Squeeze in lemon or lime if you need some extra flavor.) Research even shows that drinking it can improve your mood.