We all love drinking carbonated sweetened sodas but have you ever considered how these can affect your health? Artificial sweeteners in sodas have shown a risk for many health concerns including cardiovascular conditions, metabolism issues, and even obesity. Let’s start with the Connection Between Diet Soda And Dementia!
Not just this but diet sodas can affect your brain health too! Diet soda and brain health have a c. Excessive and regular consumption of diet soda may lead to a higher risk of developing dementia. They can be toxic to the brain and consuming diet soda regularly may affect your brain health. So, how exactly are diet soda and brain health associated with each other? Read on to find out the effect of diet soda on your health!
What is Dementia?
Dementia refers to cognitive declines such as memory loss and a symptom of various underlying diseases and brain disorders. It is not a single disease but a phrase that describes symptoms of memory, communication, and thinking impairment. Dementia largely affects the old age groups and is caused by a variety of injuries or illnesses. It can be mild or even severe. This may cause personality changes. Dementia can worsen over time.
The symptoms of dementia are as follows:
- Not able to cope with change.
- Changes in short-term memory making.
- Being repetitious while communicating (like asking the same question again or telling the same story many times)
- Confusion in sensing directions.
- Struggling to comprehend storylines.
- Mood changes.
- Loss of interest
- Confusion
- Struggling in completing routine tasks.
- Difficulty with conceptual thinking.
- Personality changes.
The cause of dementia can be due to brain cell demise and neurodegenerative disease that usually happens over time. Dementia can be caused by head injury, a stroke or a brain tumor, and other causes. Vascular dementia, which happens from brain cell death is caused by conditions such as cerebrovascular disease. Vascular dementia prevents normal blood flow, coercing brain cells of oxygen. Injury or post-traumatic dementia can be another cause of brain cell death.
dementiaDiet Soda and Dementia
So, can diet sodas cause dementia? Well, most nutritionists usually recommend avoiding beverages that contain artificial sweeteners. People who drink soda and sugary beverages regularly have smaller brains and hastened signs of brain aging, according to a recent study. Research published in the American Heart Association’s journal found that the artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks can result in a higher risk of having stroke and dementia.
A study performed in 2017, which involved 2,888 people who were older than 45 and 1,484 adults over 60 years old were asked about their eating and drinking habits at three different points in seven years. For the next 10 years, researchers kept tabs on the participants noting which of them suffered a stroke or had dementia.
Researchers concluded that people who drank at least one artificially sweetened drink per day were 3 times more prone to develop dementia as compared to those who drank less than once a week. In conclusion, they recommended the people drink water every day instead of sugary or sweetened beverages like diet soda. You might want to think twice before gulping down a sweetened beverage, even a diet soda.
Diet sodas can affect your brain health in many other ways as well. This may include:
- High Insulin- Artificial sweeteners contribute to high insulin levels which increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, heart diseases, and other health conditions.
- Lower Metabolism: Artificial sweeteners may lead to weight gain and slow down your metabolism, which can cause diabetes and obesity, the major reasons for memory problems and dementia.
- Affects the Gut Bacteria: Artificial sweeteners in diet soda can have a toxic effect on the gut bacteria which can cause leaky gut, which has been linked with the development of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Why you Should Stop Drinking Diet Soda Today!
Diet SodaThe health risks of drinking diet soda can be greater than you think. We know, craving a diet soda after a tiring day in summer feels very nice but this temptation can deteriorate your overall health. So, you should better stick to coffee for your caffeine needs and not sugary beverages that contain artificial sweeteners. Here’s why you should stop drinking diet soda today!
- Diet sodas can cause headaches and hinder your everyday tasks.
- Diet sodas can cause breakouts as they can dry out your skin making you more prone to breakouts and acne.
- Diet soda can trigger depression. According to a recent study, there is a connection between the consumption of diet soda and a higher chance of having depression.
- Diet soda can cause lower bone density. This can result in osteoporosis and weak bones.
- Diet soda mixed with alcoholic beverages is even toxic and makes you drunk. Using diet soda in your liquor to cut up some calories might not be a good idea as artificial sweeteners in diet soda can make you more intoxicated than other mixers.
- Consuming diet soda in drastic amounts can interfere with your sense of taste.
- Diet soda drinkers are more likely to experience hypertension compared to those who choose to avoid it.
- Diet soda induces effects similar to chemical addiction as chemicals in diet soda may convince your brain to crave it again and again to feel the same sense of joy.
- Drinking diet soda during pregnancy can affect the child.
- The acidic nature of diet soda can destroy the teeth and wear away the tooth enamel.
For the sake of your health, it’s better to avoid sugary beverages that contain artificial sweeteners and replace them with healthier alternatives like healthy juices, green tea, lemon juice, red wine (in moderation), soy milk, coffee, or even a fresh glass of coconut water.
Also read: Dementia
