Women who consume diet drinks have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease

This study was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine 2014 Dec 17

Study title and authors:
Diet Drink Consumption and the Risk of Cardiovascular Events: A Report from the Women's Health Initiative.

Vyas A, Rubenstein L, Robinson J, Seguin RA, Vitolins MZ, Kazlauskaite R, Shikany JM, Johnson KC, Snetselaar L, Wallace R.
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, 200 Hawkins Dr., Int. Med. E316-1 GH, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA, ankurvyas7@gmail.com.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25515135

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between diet drink intake and cardiovascular events. The study included 59,614 post-menopausal women, average age 62.8 years, who were followed for 8.7 years.

The study found:
(a) Women who consumed two or more diet drinks per day had a 30% higher risk of cardiovascular disease events compared to women who consumed 0-3 diet drinks a month.
(b) Women who consumed two or more diet drinks per day had a 50% higher risk of cardiovascular disease deaths compared to women who consumed 0-3 diet drinks a month. 
(c) Women who consumed two or more diet drinks per day had a 30% higher risk of overall deaths compared to women who consumed 0-3 diet drinks a month.

Vyas concluded: "This analysis demonstrates an association between high diet drink intake and cardiovascular disease outcomes and mortality in post-menopausal women".