Login or Register

Drinking Large Amounts of Diet Soda & Increased Blood Pressure

Aug 7, 2011 | By Bryan Berg
Drinking Large Amounts of Diet Soda & Increased Blood Pressure
Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images

The name "diet soda" suggests a product that is good for you or, at worst, has no positive or negative effect on your health. However, this line of thinking may not be accurate. Recent research has suggested that drinking large amounts of diet soda may increase your blood pressure.

Diet Soda and High Blood Pressure

A direct link between diet soda consumption and high blood pressure had not been established as of 2011. However, studies published by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association have shown that drinking diet soda does increase your chances of heart disease and weight gain. These factors, in turn, can lead to higher blood pressure. Though these connections have been verified over time, it's not yet clear whether it's the diet soda that's having this effect, or if the threat of higher blood pressure is caused by other factors.

Other Factors

The consensus among those who have studied the effects of diet soda on the body is that it's the behaviors performed in conjunction with drinking diet soda that cause problems. It's believed that people take advantage of the calorie savings incurred by drinking soda by eating unhealthier foods. Another theory is that people drink diet soda largely when they're eating foods like pizza and fast food, which are high in calories and fat. These factors seem to have a bigger impact on blood pressure than the diet soda itself.

Diet Soda Dangers

The possibility of increased blood pressure isn't the only threat associated with diet soda. Aside from the commonly known cancer risk, diet soda may lead to strokes, vascular problems and diabetes. Again, it's not clear if the diet soda by itself is what leads to these risks, or the extenuating circumstances in the lives of those who drink diet soda, but these are factors that should be weighed when you think of diet soda as something with no calories.

Alternatives

Diet soda is great with a pizza or a burger, but it's not advised to drink diet soda with every meal or even on a daily basis. Filling up on water is far healthier than drinking diet soda regularly. Other options are to replace diet soda with fruit juice or milk. No matter what you choose, you can still have the occasional diet soda, which will allow you to enjoy the taste without having to worry about the potential symptoms of excessive consumption.

References

Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Aug 7, 2011

Must see: Photo Galleries