Is our diet soda dangerous to health?

Scientists have found a correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome. They found that the risk of developing metablic syndrome was 34% higher among people who drank one diet soda a day compared with those who drank none.

This is something to worry about. Diet sodas are an indispensable part of modern life. Many people drink diet sodas for health reasons as they are low in calories. It is also consumed by people who want to make a statement about being hip.

Metabolic syndrome consists of multiple interrelated risk factors that include abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and elevated blood pressure that increases the risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Not surprisingly the scientists also found that eating patterns are also contributing factors. Consuming too much refined grains, fried food and red meat was found to elevate the risk of metabolic syndrome as well.

Earlier studies have also showed that people who drink diet soft drinks don’t lose weight. In fact, they gain weight. In fact the study showed that there was a 41% increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day.

The diet soda industry certainly won’t agree with these findings but it seems to me that this is an issue that we should keep our eyes on. In the meantime it may be a good idea to cut back on those diet sodas.