Study unravels health impact, interplay of diet soft drinks and overall diet

Are diet sodas good or bad for you? The jury is still out, but a new study sheds light on the impact that zero-calorie beverages may have on health, especially in the context of a person’s overall dietary habits.

For the average person, the scientific evidence can seem confusing. A number of studies have implicated diet beverage consumption as a cause of cardiovascular disease. However, others have suggested such drinks may be a viable tactic for people who are trying to lose or control their weight.

Either way, most previous research has tended to focus either on people’s drinking patterns and preferences, or their overall dietary habits – in other words, most studies have failed to tease apart how those two aspects interact to affect people’s health.

To address this problem, a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill examined not only people's beverage consumption patterns but also the diets of those who consume diet and sugar-sweetened beverages. The findings appear in the April issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Kiyah Duffey, Ph.D., study author and research assistant professor of nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, said that similar to previous studies, the new analysis found that people who consumed diet beverages tended to be less healthy than people who did not consume them.

WHAT IS THE PRUDENT DIET? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States in both men and women; in 2008, at least 25 percent of adults in most states were obese. In a society of plentiful food and obesity on the rise, the fight on heart disease flourishes. The prudent diet is necessary to dampen this artery-clogging disease.

Function

MedlinePlus reports heart disease includes coronary artery disease, which may occur from the accumulation of a fatty substance in the artery wall, causing a blockage. All individuals with a diagnosis of heart disease or who have a family history of heart disease should follow a prudent diet. The diet is low in total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium. These dietary modifications assist in lowering cholesterol and triglyceride blood levels and blood pressure.

Features

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that a food item is considered low-fat when there is it contains 3 g or less of total fat per serving. A meal is low-fat when there are 3 g or less total fat per 100 g serving and 30 percent or less fewer calories are from fat. Low saturated fat guidelines allow for 1 g or less per serving and no more than 15 percent of calories. Low cholesterol signifies 20 mg or less cholesterol and 2 g or less saturated fat per serving. Low sodium is recognized as 140 mg or less per serving.