According to recent studies on diet beverages linked with heart problems, people who drink one or two diet drinks per day are more likely to suffer from heart diseases, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), and stroke attacks. In an exceptional case, women who consume more diet drinks are at the risk of dyslipidemia or cholesterol( unhealthy fats), which also increases the risk of heart attack.
Dyslipidemia is a high level of lipids( triglycerides and cholesterol) in the blood. It is caused due to an unhealthy diet, irregular lifestyle, obesity, and smoking. Dyslipidemia leads to atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) and stroke attack. It has no symptoms. It can be prevented by regular exercise and a healthy diet.
Still many of you think that diet beverage is safer than the sugar-sweetened beverages(soda, sports drink, Presweetened teas) but the lead author Eloi Chazelas, a doctoral student and member of the nutritional epidemiology research team at the Sorbonne Paris Nord University, told in his statement that
“Our study suggests 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,”
Why Cholesterol Is Important?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in every cell of the body. Our body needs cholesterol to form healthy cells, vitamin D, and to digest food. A high level of cholesterol causes a high risk to the heart. There are two types of cholesterol
Low-density lipoprotein(LDL)
High-density lipoprotein(HDL)
“Cholesterol is one of the most important risk factors for atherosclerosis and heart attack and stroke. Managing your cholesterol is extremely important, and at least once a year checkups are vital for keeping on top of it,” Peterman said.
Diet Beverages
Diet beverages are popular among all age groups who want to reduce their consumption of sugar or calories. But more than sugar-sweetened beverages diet beverages causes more risks to the heart and kidney. It not only increases the cholesterol but also reduces the good lipoproteins from the body.
Diet beverage is a combination of carbonated water and artificial sweeteners, food colors, and food additives. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, cyclamates, saccharin, acesulfame-k, or sucralose were used to sweeten them. Not all beverages are made of artificial sweeteners some may use natural sweeteners too. The following are the ingredients that have been used commonly in all diet beverages.
Carbonated water – Carbonated waters are added to get crystal water and it is made by dissolving carbon dioxide into water under pressure.
Colors – The basic food colors used are carotenoids, anthocyanins, and caramels used to add colors to the beverages.
Food Flavors – Many different types of natural fruit flavors and artificial flavors are used.
Sweeteners – Sweeteners are added to sweeten the beverages which can be either natural or artificial and also an herbal sweetener called stevia is used, which is 13,000 times sweeter than normal sugar.
Acids – Acids were used to add tartness to the drink. The acids used are citric acid, malic acid, and phosphoric acid which causes stained teeth or tooth enamel erosion.
Preservatives – The most commonly used preservative is potassium benzoate which helps the beverages last longer.
Vitamins and minerals – Only some of the soft drink diet beverages were added with vitamins and minerals to market their products as no-calorie products.
Caffeine – Like normal diet beverages there are also diet coke and diet beverages with caffeine. Diet coke contains 45mg of caffeine.
How to Avoid Diet Beverage Cravings
If you are addicted greatly to that sparkling water and tartness feel, then try out this method by Lisa Drayer. Drayer insisted
“Cut back by one serving per day until you’re down to one drink per day,” and “Try infusing fruit into the 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,”
She suggests following this method for two weeks will help us to adjust and feel that “natural foods with sugar more satisfying,”
Diet Beverages Also Causes
Heart disease is the leading threat among all men and women. So it’s important to keep your heart healthy. Nowadays many unhealthy foods and diet beverages are the major cause of heart problems and other diseases. So try to add more nutritious food to your diet rather than unhealthy diet foods and lifestyle.
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