Do you prefer diet coke over regular cola because it says it can help you cut down on sugar and calories, so you don’t pack too much weight? But did you know that diet coke and other diet sodas can actually be more harmful than normal ones? For example, recent studies show that diet cola is harmful to your health since it increases the risk of strokes and other health conditions.

Studies show how harmful diet soda is

A new study shows that diet cola and other sugar-free carbonated drinks can increase the risk of fatal diseases like heart disease and stroke by 10%. So even less than a can a day could hurt your health.

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Sugar-free drinks like diet soda are promoted as healthier options

Millions of people around the world choose sugar-free drinks because they have no calories and are, therefore, considered “healthier.” But scientists at the French National Institute of Health say that sugar substitutes are not as safe as sugar.

Dr. Mathilde Touvier wrote in the British Medical Journal, “This study suggests an association between higher artificial sweetener consumption and increased heart disease risk. Artificial sweeteners are in thousands of food and beverage brands worldwide. However, they remain a controversial topic and are currently being re-evaluated by health agencies.”

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Diet cola has a higher percentage of artificial sweetener

The study found that a “high consumer” takes in an average of 77.6mg of artificial sweetener per day, while an average can of diet fizzy drink has 140mg. That means that even half can a day can be bad for your health.

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Top consumers of diet coke were at a much higher risk of heart disease and strokes

Based on data collected from 130,000 French people, we know that a third of them regularly use sugar-free alternatives with aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium. The study also found that people who consumed artificial sweeteners had a 10% higher rate of heart disease than those who used them the least. Strokes were 30% more likely to happen in the top consumers than in the lower consumers, which was a scary fact.

Touvier said, “These food additives, consumed daily by millions of people, should not be considered a healthy and safe alternative to sugar.”

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Artificial sweeteners are considered safe by the NHS

The British National Health Service (NHS) says that before they can be used in food and drinks, all sweeteners in the European Union go through a “rigorous safety assessment” by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The NHS says that artificial sweeteners are safe to eat and help prevent tooth decay, control blood sugar levels, and cut calories.

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Diet cola has been linked to health problems related to being overweight

Even though diet soft drinks have no calories, there may be a reason to believe that they may actually cause people to become overweight. Some research in behavioral health has shown that drinking fizzy drinks with artificial sweeteners can make people eat and drink too much of other foods and drinks because the fake sweeteners leave the brain wanting more treats.

Research has shown that diet soda may also lead to an increase in body mass index (BMI) and abdominal obesity. Also, one study found that people who drank diet cola every day were nearly 70% more likely to get Type 2 diabetes. Another study found that diabetics who drink more than four diet sodas per week are twice as likely to go blind or have other problems with their eyesight that can be caused by diabetes.

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Diet sodas can be harsh on your stomach

In one study mentioned in the report, mice that drank diet cola had a change in the balance of the microbiome in their guts. In another study, aspartame, which is used in many diet drinks, was found to cause problems that can lead to fatty liver disease.

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Diet cola is bad for your bones

The report also says that diet drinks with phosphorous can make it harder for the body to absorb calcium, which can make bones more fragile.

In particular, one study found that the bone mineral density in the hips of women who drank three or more diet colas a day was lower. However, it’s important to note that this study seems to have looked at how all soda affects bone density, not just diet soda.

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Diet cola can affect your brain health

A 2017 study found that people over 60 who drink one diet soda every day have a three times greater chance of getting dementia. So whether it’s diet cola or any other diet soft drinks, either way, most of these “diet” sodas can potentially affect your brain health and functioning.

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They are also linked to cancers of the blood

Several bad eating habits have been shown to make some people more likely to get cancer. For example, in a 2016 report, a study pointed out that the sweetener sucralose had been shown to cause leukemia and other blood cancers in male mice. Sucralose is also the main ingredient in some sugar substitutes.

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More research is needed on this topic

Tracy Parker from the British Heart Foundation says that there needs to be more research on sweeteners so that people know what happens when they use them.

“Approval, before they can be added to food, is a rigorous process, so you can feel confident they are safe to eat. While these findings shouldn’t cause undue concern, it’s always a good idea to look at the amount of sugar and sweeteners in your diet,” says Parker.

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