Awwal 1432 H. / 15 April 2011, SPA -- Diet soda and other artificially-sweetened drinks do not raise the risk of developing diabetes, a new study from Harvard University researchers suggested on Friday. Replacing sugary drinks with diet versions seems to be a safe and healthy alternative, the authors said in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "There are multiple alternatives to regular soda," Dr. Frank Hu, one of the study's authors, told Reuters. "Diet soda is perhaps not the best alternative, but moderate consumption is not going to have appreciable harmful effects," he said. In a large group of men followed for 20 years, drinking regular soda and other sugary drinks often meant a person was more likely to get diabetes, but that was not the case for artificially-sweetened sodas, coffee, or tea. Previous studies have suggested that people consume diet soda regularly might be more likely to get diabetes than those who do not drink artificially-sweetened beverages. But this study indicated that the link is a result of other factors common to both diet soda drinkers and people with diabetes, including that they are more likely to be overweight.
