Feb 11, 2008 5:55 pm US/Eastern
Study: Diet Soda Not The Best Option
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
Even though it's lower in calories, a new study suggests diet soda may pose a risk for metabolic syndrome - with obesity, high blood sugar cholesterol and high blood pressure. It has been linked to heart disease and diabetes.
"Something about the sweetness of the food, not matched with calories to follow, changes either perceptions or behavior or metabolism, so those people are more at risk to gain weight," Dr. Patricia Bononi, an endocrinologist with the Joslin Diabetes Center, said.
Researchers looked at more than 9,000 people between 45 and 64 and what they ate over a nine-year period.
The ones who consumed two or more servings of red meat a day and diet soda were at higher risk for metabolic syndrome. For diet soda drinkers, their risk was 30 percent higher than for those who didn't drink diet soda.
"Going the other way to sweetened sodas will also lead to weight gain and obesity and metabolic syndrome. So maybe water is the best choice," Bononi said.
In the same study, dairy products were associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
