Drinking two liters of diet soda or other artificially sweetened drinks a day can increase the risk of a dangerous irregular heartbeat by 20% compared to people who don’t drink anything, according to a new study by researchers in China.
The study, from Shanghai, found that people who drink such drinks are more susceptible to a condition known as atrial fibrillation.
Theodore Maglione, an assistant professor of medicine and a cardiologist specializing in cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrhythmias at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Jersey, told the Guardian: “Atrial fibrillation is a chaotic vibration of the upper chambers of the heart. Normally they beat in an organized way.”
Symptoms of atrial fibrillation, or “A-fib,” include “fatigue, shortness of breath, [and] palpitations”, said Maglione.
A-fib can often be genetic, Maglione said, but there are also some modifiable risk factors.
“Some things you can’t control are your genetics and age – which is also a big risk factor. Some of the things you can control include smoking, hypertension, uncontrolled sleep apnea, obesity and nutrition,” he said.
Making sure blood pressure is optimized is important when it comes to A-fib, as well as a “heart-healthy lifestyle,” Maglione said.
“Diet and exercise have been shown to reduce recurrence rates of atrial fibrillation after we treat it with certain procedures,” he said.
“The jury is out on whether the low-calorie or zero-calorie soft drinks with artificial sweeteners are any healthier than the conventional four-calorie soft drinks.”
Maglione said that when it comes to A-fib and nutrition, avoiding foods high in cholesterol and fat and getting regular exercise are key.
“Even modest weight loss has been associated with much lower recurrence rates of atrial fibrillation after treatment,” he said.
A-fib can also lead to blood clots, strokes and other heart-related complications.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say stroke is “a leading cause of serious long-term disability”. And atrial fibrillation is the leading cause of stroke in the United States.
Those over 65 are at increased risk for heart conditions such as A-fib and stroke, making it more important for this group to follow a healthy lifestyle and avoid artificially sweetened drinks.
Maglione said there is also evidence linking atrial fibrillation to early dementia later in life.
The study also looked at drinks with added sugar and pure unsweetened juices, such as orange juice. Beverages with added sugar were found to increase the risk of A-fib by 10%, while drinking about four ounces of pure unsweetened juices decreased the risk of the condition by 8%.
Penny Kris-Etherton, a nutrition sciences professor at Penn State University, told CNN, “This is the first study to report an association between no- and low-calorie sweeteners and also sugar-sweetened beverages and increased risk of atrial fibrillation.”
Diet or not, Maglione said it’s important to be aware when it comes to medical matters of the heart.
“If you feel any symptoms of irregular heartbeat or palpitations, seek medical attention,” he said. “Because usually with earlier intervention we can be more successful in treatment and prevent any of the things like stroke from happening.”
