Adults who have at least one diet drink(无糖饮料) a day are three times more at risk from a stroke(中风) or dementia(痴呆), research shows lately.
Scientists say they should no longer be regarded as the healthier choices and encourage the public to stick to water or milk. Their study of almost 4,400 adults also suggests diet drinks are more likely to cause strokes and dementia than those full of sugar.
There was no link between sugary drinks and either of the illnesses, although the researchers aren’t encouraging us to drink them either. The team of scientists from Boston University believe the artificial sweeteners(人工甜味剂) may be influencing the blood vessels, eventually causing strokes and dementia.
Diet drinks take up a quarter of the sweetened drinks market but there is growing evidence that they are not as healthy as we thought before. A major review in January by Imperial College London researchers found they were no better at helping weight loss than full fat drinks. In fact, the authors suggested they were encouraging fatness by setting off the sugar receptors(糖受体) in the brain, making us want sweet food.
In this latest study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke, researchers looked at 4,372 adults over the age of 45. They had filled in detailed questionnaires on their food and drink intake in the 1990s and were then tracked for ten years. The results showed that adults who had one or more diet drinks a day were 2.9 times more likely to develop dementia and 3 times more at risk of strokes compared to those who takes none at all.