Stroke and Dementia Risks from Soda

New research studies are suggesting health risks associated with both artificially sweetened drinks and sugary sodas. Although there is not an actual connection between risk of stroke and dementia associated with drinking the sodas, the American Heart association indicates there may be a link, with greater work needed to confirm their theory. There is growing evidence that sugary soda drinks pose a health risk, that added fructose in sugary drinks might damage your brain. It has been found, from data of the Framingham Heart Study, that the sugary beverages frequently cause poorer memory, smaller overall brain volume, and a significantly smaller hippocampus, important for learning and memory. A follow-up study of people who drank diet soda daily, found a three times greater likelihood of their developing stroke and dementia over those who did not drink diet sodas. The findings show a correlation but not cause and effect. Researchers warn that more research is needed to determine how, or if, the drinks actually damage the brain and how much damage may be caused by underlying vascular disease or diabetes. The strong data and very strong suggestion regarding the sugary or artificially sweetened drinks and their potential for harm led professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, Sudha Seshadri, senior author of the study, to state: “Maybe good old-fashioned water is something we need to get used to.” http://reliawire.com/diet-soda-dementia-stroke-risk/