A few weeks ago I discovered an interesting research article. According to this study the risk of stroke increases 61% among those who drink diet soda regularly. There has been some controversy about the study and some researchers voiced concern about the integrity of the study. Nevertheless I felt it is interesting and worthwhile reading.
Here is the full article:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_108642.html
After reading the article I had some reflection on the material.
First, to me it looks like comparing filtered and un-filtered cigarettes. Of course the filtered ones are healthier. But the question remains, “Are they healthy?”.
Second, the overuse of the word “diet”. Diet only means, that there is less sugar in a given volume of drink. If you drink a big amount of diet soda you might get a similar amount of sugar and a much, much higher amount of additives compared to a regular soda.
Third, a general rule comes to mind – the less processed food/beverage, the better. Of course we should know how bad the bad really is, but seriously, you don’t need higher education and years of expensive research to figure out, that the nutritional value of soda, regardless of the type, is pretty much zero.
Fourth and last, our body consists mainly of water (not, soda!!). If you want to stay hydrated, you need to drink water. If you don’t like to drink water, because you need something that tastes better – throw some fruit or herb in. Mint water, cucumber water, melon water (watermelon?), lemon water, you name it. Tasty and healthy. Leave the soda for researchers 🙂
Wishing you good health and cheers,
Igor Zielinski L.Ac