H.S. 072907 Diet Soda

Hey folks,

Well, Tuesday's big news was Diet Soda. The news was not good. According to the AP -Study: Diet soda linked to heart risks By JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press Writer

People who drank more than one diet soda each day developed the same risks for heart disease as those who downed sugary regular soda, suggests a large but inconclusive study.

STOP!!! Again folks. An inconclusive study.

The results surprised the researchers who expected to see a difference between regular and diet soda drinkers. It could be, they suggest, that even no-calorie sweet drinks increase the craving for more sweets, and that people who indulge in sodas probably have less healthy diets overall.

That’s stretching. So now Diet Soda is a gateway to worse treats?

The study's senior author, Dr. Vasan Ramachandran, {That’s actually Dr. Ramachandran Vasan} emphasized the findings don't show diet sodas are a cause of increased heart disease risks. But he said they show a surprising link that must be studied.

WAIT. “don't show diet sodas are a cause of increased heart disease risks” Can you see where I’m going with this yet?

It's intriguing and it begs an explanation by people who are qualified to do studies to understand this better, said Vasan, of Boston University School of Medicine.

However, a nutrition expert dismissed the study's findings on diet soda drinkers.

There's too much contradictory evidence that shows that diet beverages are healthier for you in terms of losing weight that I would not put any credence to the result on the diet (drinks), said Barry Popkin, of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, who has called for cigarette-style surgeon general warnings about the negative health effects of soda.

Where is HIS proof there is ANYTHING wrong with them? Where is the profit here? Money HAS to come into play somewhere.

Susan Neely, president of the American Beverage Association, said the notion that diet drinks are associated with bulging waistlines defies common sense.

How can something with zero calories that's 99 percent water with a little flavoring in it ... cause weight gain? she said.

It can’t. OK, I told you this story before, I think anyway. When I quit smoking the first time, I blew up from 180 to 230. I was told by a friend of mine, and the one that got me going to the gym, start drinking diet soda. He said, turn around a can of regular soda. {110 calories} then a can of Diet {0}. I started drinking Diet Soda way back then and found it DID help me lose wieght and became a positive part in my weight loss and control.

Still to this day, when I do not have coffee at my side, it’s Diet Soda. Now more so for the taste. It goes on to say that the study found that they feel that it caused metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms that increase the risk for heart disease including large waistlines and higher levels of blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and blood fats called triglycerides. But how about common sense.

But Popkin said that result isn't that surprising. He said much of the market for diet sodas are people who have unhealthy lifestyles and know they need to lose weight — with the other portion being thin people who want to stay that way. That means many people drinking diet sodas have unhealthy habits that could lead to increased heart disease risks, whether they drink diet soda or not.

In studies in which some users were randomly given diet sodas and others were given regular soda, diet soda drinkers lost weight and regular soda drinkers gained weight, Popkin said.

In a statement, the American Heart Association said it supports dietary patterns that include low-calorie beverages.

Diet soda can be a good option to replace caloric beverages that do not contain important vitamins and minerals, the association said, adding further study is needed before any association between diet soda and heart risk factors would lead to public recommendations.

They end the article with this.

Without a more definitive explanation, Vasan offers only this advice to diet soda drinkers: consume in moderation and stayed tuned for more research.

So forget what we just reported to you, we’ll get back to you on this. {Laughing}

Then this in Health Day -Study Links Diet Soft Drinks With Cardiac Risk By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking more than one soda a day -- even if it's the sugar-free diet kind -- is associated with an increased incidence of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors linked to the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, a study finds.

The link to diet soda found in the study was striking but not entirely a surprise, said Dr. Ramachandran Vasan, study senior author and professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. There had been some hints of it in earlier studies, he said.

But this is the first study to show the association in a prospective fashion and in a large population, Vasan said.

Then Blah, blah, blah. Then this.

Vasan, who noted that he is not a nutritional expert, said he leans toward the theory that this is a marker of dietary behavior -- that people who like to drink sweet soda also like to eat the kind of foods that cardiac nutritionists warn against.

But we cannot infer causality, Vasan said, meaning there is no proof that soda itself is the villain. We have an association. Maybe it is a causal one or maybe it is a marker of something else.

So WHY publish this study? Where is the catch? This seems to be just another example of doom and gloom food reporting without actual facts or proof of what they are saying. What is the point?

Take my advice folks. Take my lead. Eat and drink what you want, do so in moderation. Leave these “experts" to fight amongst themselves. You will be happier, and who knows, maybe even healthier for it.
Peter

Sources:
AP -Study: Diet soda linked to heart risks
Health Day -Study Links Diet Soft Drinks With Cardiac Risk