Everyone is faced with the question when they go out to eat “What’s healthier diet soda or regular soda?” Both of the drinks have been linked to certain but different, cardiovascular disease risks. Many people choose the diet option due to “diet” being in its name, but don’t let that fool you!

According to Men’s Fitness a 2005 study that is dedicated to finding the answer shows the data that many drinkers that’s selected the diet option showed no signs of weight loss, but instead gained weight. Out of the gathered 2465 subjects gathered in this experiment 116 subjects drank diet soda daily and over nine years 48 percent of those participants were more likely to have to have a stroke or a heart attack. Harvard University conducted a study in 2002 linking diet soda to heart disease. The University gathered 2,500 participants over the age of 40 who have never had a stroke and their diet intake was zero. The data recorded over 10 years showed that people who drank diet soda every day had a 36% greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome and a 67% greater risk of developing diabetes. Both of these conditions greatly raise the odds of having a stroke or heart attack.

Regular calorie soda isn’t innocent either. Soda has been known to raise the risk factors for high blood pressure, heart disease, weight gain, and diabetes. “Drinking a 12 ounce soda every day can increase your risk of having a heart attack by 20%.” said Shawn Radcliffe writer for Men’s Health. A study done over a 22 year period followed 43,000 men showed that men who had no weight problems had a dangerous increase of risk to heart disease. So what exactly causes these heart problems? Many manufactures replace real sugar with artificial chemicals which scientist believe is the main link.  The most popular artificial filler is aspartame. Aspartame is used to replace regular sugar and is found in food products labeled as “diet.” According to Health Line “the FDA recommends a maximum intake of 50 grams per kilogram of body weight.” With the FDA’s approval and many other approvals aspartame still may not be good to consume frequently. Many people claim to have experienced headaches, seizures, dizziness, and depression due to aspartame. It is also believed to be linked with cancer, weight gain, and birth defects. It’s easier to try a more natural alternative for a sweetener such as honey, syrup, or fruit juice than to defend aspartame.
The diet soda option isn’t the best alternative to a regular calorie soda, and clearly regular soda isn’t too healthy for our heart; however, an old fashioned glass of water never hurt anybody. Right?