People think diet sodas are healthier than fizzy drinks. A new study says diet sodas can be as bad for our heart as sugar-filled fizzy drinks. Researchers said people should avoid diet sodas and other artificially sweetened drinks because artificial sweeteners in diet drinks are not healthy. A heart specialist said the idea that artificial sweeteners are a substitute for sugar is "fake news". He added that sweeteners are linked to weight gain and diabetes.
The research is in a cardiology journal. It looked at data from 100,000 people. The people recorded their diet, activity level, and health status. The researchers said artificially sweetened drinks led to a higher risk of heart disease. They added: "Water, water, and more water should be the [drink] of choice. Given childhood obesity, no sweetened or artificially sweetened beverage should be...in children's diets."