Is Diet Soda Really the Healthier Soft Drink?

New study finds link between drinking diet soda and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke

by Lisa Freedman

The premise: Many soda drinkers opt for diet over regular, thinking that the zero calories and zero sugar makes the drink a healthier option. But the scientific evidence backing up that idea is lacking. In fact, a 2005 study reported that people who drink diet soda instead of regular don’t lose any extra weight. Rather, they gain weight. Now, a new nine-year study finds a connection between drinking diet soft drinks and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

The set-up: Researchers gathered 2,465 subjects. The average age was 69 and about two-thirds of the participants were women—but the findings are still applicable to you. “We didn’t see any interaction with age or sex,” says study researcher Hannah Gardener, ScD, an epidemiologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “Therefore there’s no reason why the results would be different for younger, male subjects.”

At the start of the study, people were asked to document what foods and beverages they consumed and how often they consumed them. They were asked about their exercise routines and whether they smoked or drank alcohol. And the participants had physical checkups.

With the preliminary research in: 901 participants said they never drank soda or drank it less than once a month, 282 said they drank at least one regular soda daily and 116 reported they drank at least one diet soda a day.

The results: Over the next nine years, those who drank diet soda daily were 48 percent more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, compared with those who rarely drank soda. There was actually no risk increase for cardiovascular disorders among the daily drinkers of regular soda.

“We had a strong bias for conducting the study, as other diet soda studies have suggested an association between diabetes, weight gain, coronary heart disease and other ailments, but we were surprised to find the strength of the results,” says Gardener.

A few flaws in the study are worth noting: Participants were only asked about the soda habits at one point (they may have changed habits at some point during the nine years) and there’s no information about which soft drinks were being consumed. And even though the researchers tried to consider for risk factors that that could skew the results, they couldn't account for everything.

The takeaway: Despite the overwhelming results, the study doesn't prove cause and effect. Meaning, it’s too early to recommend swapping a diet soda for a regular calorie-heavy soda. “I actually don’t think you should drink any soda at all,” Gardener suggests. “I’d always recommend a glass of water over any other beverage.”

First Stroke Patient Ever in US Treated With Stem Cells

ontact: Deborah Lake
deborah.m.lake@uth.tmc.edu
713-500-3304
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Phase I trial will enroll 10 patients

		IMAGE: Stroke patient Roland "Bud " Henrich, 61, is the first patient to receive his own stem cells in a Phase I trial at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Click here for more information.

HOUSTON – (April 16, 2009)—For the first time in the United States, a stroke patient has been intravenously injected with his own bone marrow stem cells as part of a research trial at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

Roland "Bud" Henrich, 61, was transferred to Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center on March 25 after suffering a stroke while working on his farm in Liberty. He arrived too late to receive tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the only treatment for ischemic strokes. He became the first patient in the trial.

The Phase I safety trial, funded with a pilot grant from The National Institutes of Health and support from the Notsew Orm Sands Foundation, will enroll nine more patients who have suffered a stroke and can be treated with the stem cell procedure within 24 to 72 hours of initial symptoms.

		IMAGE: Dr. Sean Savitz and a team of researchers at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston enrolled their first patient in an adult stem cell trial for stroke patients. Click here for more information.

Stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted by a blockage or a rupture in an artery, depriving brain tissue of oxygen. It is the third-leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. According to the American Stroke Association, nearly 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year – one every 40 seconds. On average, someone dies of stroke every three to four minutes.

"It's still very early in this safety study, but this could be an exciting new therapeutic approach for people who have just suffered a stroke," said Sean Savitz, M.D., assistant professor of neurology at the medical school and the study's lead investigator. "Animal studies have shown that when you administer stem cells after stroke, the cells enhance the healing. We know that stem cells have some kind of guidance system and migrate to the area of injury. They're not making new brain cells but they may be enhancing the repair processes and reducing inflammatory damage."

Savitz said animal studies have shown that the healing effects of stem cells can occur as early as a week but cautioned it is too early to attribute Henrich's improvement to the stem cell treatment. "I'm hoping he will get better and it will be because of the cells, but it's just hope at this point," Savitz said.

The stem cells were harvested from the bone marrow in the iliac crest of his leg, then separated and returned to Henrich several hours later. Because they are his own stem cells, rejection is not expected to be an issue.

When he arrived at the hospital, Henrich could not speak and had significant weakness on his right side. When he was released after nearly two weeks of hospitalization and rehabilitation, he was able to walk and climb stairs unassisted and said his first words.

His wife, Reba Henrich, said she believes the stem cells have helped. He has spoken a few times with a single word or a phrase since his return home. "Too crowded," he told her at a megastore as they shopped for Easter gifts for their grandchildren and "senior" meal he told a waitress at a local restaurant. He also has fed the cows by himself, she said. They are hopeful he will eventually be able to return to his job as a painter.

"This study is the critical first step in translating laboratory work with stem cells into benefit for patients. If effective, this treatment could be helpful to a huge segment of stroke patients to reduce their disability," said James C. Grotta, M.D., Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Professor of Neurology and chair of the Department of Neurology at the medical school. "We are fortunate here at UT Houston and the Texas Medical Center to have the resources needed to carry out this work, and to have attracted someone of Dr. Savitz's caliber to lead this study."

###

The study is only open to patients who are admitted to the Emergency Center at Memorial Hermann – TMC or through the UT Stroke Team with symptoms of an immediate stroke.