Diet pop can also give you diabetes

Rubbish.  Probable class effect.  Poor people drink more pop and have worse health anyhow

Older women who drink two or more diet drinks a day are more likely to suffer from heart problems, high blood pressure and diabetes, a new study shows.

Postmenopausal women with a two-a-day soft drink habit were 50 per cent more likely to suffer from cardiovascular-related diseases, the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study discovered.

They were also 30 per cent more likely to suffer heart attacks and strokes compared to those who consumed the drinks in moderation or not at all.

60,000 women with an average age of 62.8 were asked how many low-calorie fruit drinks and diet soft drinks they had drunk over a three-month period.

Based on the results, the women were then separated into groups - with those who drank two or more diet drinks marked as heavy consumers.

Almost a decade later, researchers asked the women whether they had experienced any heart-related problems, including heart attacks, blood clots and strokes.

'Heavy consumers' were found to have suffered the most health problems.

The research also took into account various factors like participants BMI, physical activity levels, and other lifestyle choices.

A survey by the Centers for Disease Control conducted in 2009 found nearly one-in-five Americans drank diet sodas every day. Half would drink over two cups a day, it found.

Researcher Ankur Vyas of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics said: 'Our findings are in line with and extend data from previous studies showing an association.

'We were interested in this research because there was a relative lack of data about diet drinks and cardiovascular outcomes and mortality.  'This could have major public health implications.'

SOURCE





A cup of Earl Grey tea 'as good as statins' at fighting heart disease, study finds

No evidence of any effect on mortality.  Rodent study only. Journal article:  Hypocholesterolaemic activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl flavanones enriched fraction from bergamot fruit (Citrus bergamia): “In vivo” studies.

Drinking Earl Grey tea could help guard against heart disease, it has emerged, after a study found that bergamot extract - a key ingredient in the hot drink - is just as effective as statins at controlling cholesterol.

Scientists believe bergamot, a fragrant Mediterranean citrus fruit which gives Early Grey tea its distinctive flavour, can significantly lower cholesterol.

They say it contains enzymes known as HMGF (hydroxy methyl glutaryl flavonones) which can attack proteins in the body known to cause heart disease.

The study found bergamot could even be as effective as statins, used to control cholesterol but which can have side effects in patients.

Researchers from Italy's University of Calabria, writing for the Journal of Functional Foods, used concentrations of HMGF on the proteins which cause heart disease and 'bad' cholesterol.

They then compared the effects with that of statins used to treat the same proteins and found the bergamot extract with HMGF worked just as well.

Not only did it reduce levels of LDL – so-called 'bad cholesterol' which leads to heart disease – but also increased HDL, which doctors call 'good cholesterol'.

Citrus foods have long been part of the famed 'Mediterranean diet' which has been hailed as one of the best ways to avoid heart disease – the biggest killer in the Western world.

The journal's report said: "High cholesterol is a common health concern for us all and often statins are given to help treat the condition.

"Extract from bergamot – most commonly used in Earl Grey tea – reduced total cholesterol, and LDL levels but there was an increase in HDL levels (good cholesterol).

"Therefore a daily supplement of bergamot fruit extract could be very effective for the treatment of high cholesterol."

Bergamot has long been used in traditional 'folk' medicines in the Mediterranean not only as a protection for the heart but also to treat wounds, inflammation and as an antiseptic.

The extracts have even been used in jams, ice cream and perfumes in the region, said the researchers.

A 2012 study by the University of Cantanzaro in Italy, found Bergamot could help you lose weight and protect against diabetes.

It also comes in tablet form as a food supplement and is known as BergaMet.

Given as a 1000mg tablet to be taken before meals it also reduced blood sugars by 22 per cent and raised 'good' cholesterol by 41 per cent.

BergaMet blocks the same enzyme responsible for cholesterol production as statins, but works at a different place on the enzyme, meaning it does not appear to have side effects in the muscles and the liver.

SOURCE