Dear Healthy Friend,

I'm as guilty as the next person... I know I shouldn't drink diet cold drinks, but I do! Especially on a hot day... Nothing's better than an ice-cold, sugar-free can of fizz! I know they're no good for me, but I can't help myself... But after reading Ed's article below, I think it's high time I reconsider this thirst-quenching ritual!

Keep reading...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

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Diet cold drinks linked to heart risk
Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls

Here's an advert you won't see anytime soon:

Diet soda - now with extra risk!

No, that won't exactly get people slurping.

But unlike the usual nonsense about extra flavour and taste, it would actually be honest - because a new study finds that people who drink diet cold drinks regularly could find a heart attack or stroke at the bottom of their next bottle or can.

Researchers tracked 2,564 people for at least nine years, giving them regular surveys to check on their eating and drinking habits and regular exams.

After adjusting for risk factors found in those exams and lifestyle factors such as smoking, they found that people who pop the top on a diet drink every day were 61% more likely to suffer from vascular events such as heart attack and stroke than those who didn't drink the stuff.

And here's the part that might surprise you most: Even people who drank regular sugary fizzy drinks didn't have that risk, according to the study presented at the International Stroke Conference.

The natural implication here is that there's a specific ingredient only in diet drinks that's causing all those extra heart attacks and strokes.

Anyone else see where this is going?

The answer is in the artificial sweeteners, the chemical replacements for sugar that are actually worse than the real thing - even if they don't carry the calories.

Aspartame in particular - the sweetener used in most diet drinks - has been linked to headaches, insomnia, mood problems, stomach disorders, nerve damage, chest pain, asthma, seizures, tremors and so much more.

And if the new study is true, you can tack heart attack and stroke onto that list.

But in the ultimate cop-out, the researchers didn't mention sweeteners - or even come out and say it's time to stop drinking diet.

Instead, they said this needs further study.

There's no reason to wait for more studies - because all the evidence points in the same direction: This junk is dangerous.

And get this: Even the most basic promise of diet cold drinks is a lie - because studies have found that it doesn't really help people lose weight or keep it off, and may even increase the odds of metabolic syndrome (see side bar).

The reality is, there is no good reason to drink fizzy drinks, diet or otherwise. All sweeteners - real and fake - are bubbling over with the potential for serious health problems.

But they're not the only dangerous ingredients in soda. They might not even be the most dangerous ingredients...

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The risks of fizzy drinks don't end with the sweeteners...

In fact, sugar and aspartame are only the beginning - because millilitre for millilitre, these drinks are just about the most destructive blend of chemicals being sold for consumption today.

Now, a leading consumer group is pushing for a ban on one ingredient that may not even sound all that bad: Caramel colour.

But this is no creamy syrup - it's the byproduct of a pressurised treatment that combines sugar with ammonia and leaves behind two compounds in particular that you definitely don't want to drink: 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole.

California has already added 4-methylimidazole to its list of chemicals known to cause cancer and set a safe upper limit of 16mcg a day.

But the Centre for Science in the Public Interest says a single can of cold drink contains more than eight times that amount - 130mcg.

The CSPI recently filed a petition asking the FDA to ban this poison. The FDA, naturally, says it'll "consider" it.

In other words: Don't hold your breath.

But while the feds drag their feet, science marches on - and new research finds that cancer isn't the only risk that could come from caramel colour.

One new study on rats finds it could even reduce white blood cell counts, leading to immune-system damage.

So we got sugar... Aspartame... Caramel colour... And we're not done yet.

Here are some other common ingredients to watch out for:

Phosphates: Too much phosphoric acid can suck the calcium right out of your bones like, well, like juice through a straw. And that means fizzy cold drink drinkers face a higher risk of osteoporosis in their later years. Phosphates can also rot teeth, increase the risk of kidney stones and even remove paint and rust from metal.

Sodium benzoate: Added to fizzy and other soft drinks (even bottled teas) as a preservative, this stuff has been shown to cause cell damage - and that could speed the ageing process. It's also been linked to conditions such as cancer, cirrhosis and Parkinson's disease.

BPA: Just about every can sold today contains this hormone-like chemical, which has been linked to sexual problems, diabetes, heart disease and more.

Mix it all together and you have a perfect blend of risk: Diet and regular fizzy drinks alike have been linked to metabolic syndrome, diabetes, rotten teeth and overall poor health.

The best way to avoid it all is to switch to freshly brewed coffee or tea. Hot or iced, you can't beat the taste - and they come loaded with real health benefits instead of deadly risks.

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