High diet soda consumption is associated with significantly greater risks of developing metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes

This study was published in Diabetes Care 2009 Apr;32(4):688-94

Study title and authors:

Diet soda intake and risk of incident metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Nettleton JA, Lutsey PL, Wang Y, Lima JA, Michos ED, Jacobs DR Jr.

Division of Epidemiology, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Houston, Texas, USA. jennifer.a.nettleton@uth.tmc.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19151203

The study set out to determine the association between diet soda consumption and risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. The study lasted for seven years and included 6,814 people aged between 45-84 years old.

The study found:
(a) Those who consumed diet soda at least daily had a 36% increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome compared to those who rarely or never consumed diet soda.
(b) Those who consumed diet soda at least daily had a 67% increased risk of developing type II diabetes compared to those who rarely or never consumed diet soda.

The results of the study suggest that consumption of diet soda at least daily is associated with significantly greater risks of metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes.