Diet beverages were not any better than sugar-sweetened drinks in a large, long-term study from Europe, however. This research included more than 66,000 French women who were followed up for 14 years. The EPIC study included this epidemiological inquiry into whether soda or diet beverages would increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. The investigators found a clear link between women who consumed the most sugar- or artificially-sweetened liquids and their risk of type 2 diabetes. They caution that this correlation does not indicate causation, but it does suggest that switching to diet soda may not protect a person from metabolic consequences of soft drink consumption.
[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March. 2013]
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