Sorry, but Diet Coke may be as harmful as full-sugar version - Body and Soul

Diet Coke has long been considered a healthier alternative, but a new study says not so.

Examining the diet habits of more than 104,000 over a decade, researchers revealed, to almost no one's surprise, that those who regularly consumed sugary drinks had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease?

But according to results published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, those in the study who consumed artificially sweetened beverages were 20 percent more likely to suffer heart disease, stroke, or heart attacks than those avoiding sweetened drinks altogether.

A similar study in 2009 revealed the daily consumption of diet drinks actually presented a 67 percent greater risk of type 2 diabetes and 36 percent greater risk for metabolic syndrome, the exact diseases artificial sweeteners were supposed to prevent.

"On the other hand, refined, concentrated sugar consumed in large amounts rapidly increases blood glucose and insulin levels, increases triglycerides, inflammatory mediators and oxygen radicals, and with them, the risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic illnesses.".