Diet drink warning issued after research reveals increased risk of early death

Diet drinks have long been hailed a healthy pick-me-up but new research suggests that just two drinks a day could increase the risk of early death.

According to a recent study of 450,000 adults across Europe, consuming ‘healthy’ alternatives to cure your Coca Cola fix could be detrimental to your health in the long run.

The research, led by the World Health Organisation, noted that mortality rates among those consuming at least two diet drinks a day were 26 per cent higher than those who had less than one a month.

Interestingly, the study also found that artificially-sweetened drinks are even worse for our health than full-sugar beverages, due to a correlation with poor heart health, with the risk of early death up by 52 per cent.

The key takeaway? Swap both diet and sugary drinks for water, experts advise.

“The striking observation in our study was that we found positive associations for both sugar-sweetened and artificially-sweetened soft drinks with risk of all-cause deaths,” lead researcher Dr Neil Murphy said.

“It would probably be prudent to limit consumption of all soft drinks and replace with a healthier alternative, such as water.”

The WHO-led study, which is the largest of its kind to date, tracked adults with an average age of 51 years old over a 16-year period, during which time more than 41,000 participants passed away.

According to the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines, “discretionary foods such as Selected Sugar Sweetened and Diet drinks are not an essential part of a healthy diet and a limited intake of these food items is recommended”.

One in eleven Aussies or just over nine per cent consume sugar sweetened drinks such as soft drink, cordials, sports drinks or caffeinated energy drinks at least once per day according to the ABS, with men more likely than women to do so.

Additional reporting by Danielle Fowler.

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