People drink diet soda to diet. They think these drinks are healthier than fizzy drinks. A new study says "diet" versions of sugary drinks can be as bad for our heart as sugar-filled fizzy drinks. The researchers said people should avoid diet sodas and other artificially sweetened drinks if they want to stay healthy. They said artificial sweeteners in diet drinks are not healthy. A heart specialist said: "The belief that artificial sweeteners are a safe substitute for sugar is fake news." He added: "Artificial sweeteners have been associated with weight gain...and diabetes."
The research is published in an American cardiology journal. Researchers looked at data from 100,000 people. The people recorded their diet, activity level, and health status twice a year. The researchers said: "Higher intakes of...artificially sweetened beverages were associated with a higher risk of [heart] disease." They said artificially sweetened drinks were not so healthy. 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."