A new study showed that diet drinks may cause heart disease. Specifically, these drinks can cause atrial fibrillation, an irregular rhythm of the heart. Atrial fibrillation poses a risk for blood clots inside the heart and can also cause ischemic strokes.
Study in the journal Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology
Physicians from the Shidong Hospital, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, published about this new finding on March 5, 2024. About 202,000 people participated in a large database with the name UK Biobank. The participants filled in detailed dietary questionnaires. Patients were followed for 10 years. Participants were between 37 to 73 years old and more than half were females.
The study found that consumers of artificially sweetened beverages were more likely to be female. They were younger, weighed more and were more likely to be diabetic. Males were more likely to drink sugar-sweetened drinks, they were younger, weighed more and had a prevalence for heart disease. CNN published an overview of this study here:
Details of the study
Here are the findings in point form.
If you drink on average a medium-sized diet drink (with artificial sweetener) per day:
- The risk for atrial fibrillation is 20% higher amongst consumers of artificially sweetened drinks, compared to persons who drink none.
- If you drink the same number of sugar-sweetened drinks your risk for atrial fibrillation is 10% higher compared to persons who drink none.
- Drinking 4 oz. of pure, unsweetened juice (orange or vegetable juice) reduced the risk for atrial fibrillation by 8%.
Penny Kris-Etherton, professor emeritus of nutritional sciences at the Pennsylvania State University, stated: “This is the first study to report an association between no- and low-calorie sweeteners and also sugar-sweetened beverages and increased risk of atrial fibrillation.”
Dr. Bin Wang, one of the contributors to the study concluded:
“Based on these findings, we recommend that people reduce or even avoid artificially sweetened and sugar-sweetened beverages whenever possible. Do not take it for granted that drinking low-sugar and low-calorie artificially sweetened beverages is healthy. They may pose potential health risks.”
Review of atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular, sometimes very fast rhythm of the heart. It originates from the heart’s upper chambers, called atria. They beat out of sync with the heart rate of the lower heart chambers, which have the name ventricles. Sometimes, when the atrial heart beat is too fast physicians insert a pacemaker. What is the potential danger of atrial fibrillation? People with atrial fibrillation have a 3 to 5-fold higher risk of coming down with an ischemic stroke. Common causes of atrial fibrillation are high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, heart failure and diabetes. When first diagnosed, an assessment by a cardiologist is necessary. Often a patient with atrial fibrillation is put on blood thinners to reduce the risk of a stroke.
Diet Drinks May Cause Heart Disease
Conclusion
A new cause for developing atrial fibrillation is the consumptions of diet drinks and sugary drinks. Researchers detected this in a recent study. The risk for atrial fibrillation in individuals consuming diet drinks is 20% higher in comparison to persons who drink none. If you drink the same number of sugar-sweetened drinks, your risk for atrial fibrillation is 10% higher in comparison to persons who drink none. On the other hand, drinking 4 oz. of pure, unsweetened juice (orange or vegetable juice) reduced the risk for atrial fibrillation by 8%. Replace diet drinks or sugary drinks with water, orange juice or vegetable juice.
