High diet drink consumption may raise CV risk for women

WASHINGTON — Healthy postmenopausal women who consume two or more diet drinks per day are more likely to develop CV events than women who never or rarely consume diet drinks.

New research presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions suggests that women who consumed at least two diet drinks per day were 30% more likely to have a CV event such as MI or stroke and 50% more likely to die of CVD compared with women whose diet drink consumption is much less.

“This is one of the largest studies evaluating diet drink consumption and CV outcomes,” Ankur Vyas, MD, fellow, cardiovascular diseases, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, said during a Web briefing.

Ankur Vyas

The data come from an analysis of 59,614 participants in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study.

Information on diet drink consumption during a 3-month period was obtained via questionnaire and was assessed at follow-up year 3 of the WHI Observational Study. Each drink was defined as the equivalent of a 12-oz beverage, and included diet sodas and diet fruit drinks. Researchers divided the women into four consumption groups: two or more diet drinks per day (5%), five to seven drinks per week (11%), one to four diet drinks per week (20%) and zero to three diet drinks per month (64%), according to a press release.

The primary outcome was a composite of incident CHD, congestive HF, MI, coronary revascularization, ischemic stroke, peripheral arterial disease and CV death. During an average follow-up of 8.7 years, the primary outcome occurred in 8.5% of women who consumed two or more diet drinks per day compared with 6.9% of those who consumed five to seven drinks per week, 6.8% who consumed one to four drinks per week and 7.2% who consumed zero to three diet drinks per month.

Among women who consumed two or more diet drinks per day, the researchers calculated an HR of 1.3 (95% CI, 1.1-1.5) for CVD events, 1.3 (95% CI, 1.04-1.5) for all-cause mortality and 1.5 (95% CI, 1.03-2.3) for CVD mortality vs. women who consumed zero to three diet drinks per month.

The association persisted after researchers adjusted for demographics and other CV risk factors and comorbidities, including BMI, smoking, hormone therapy use, physical activity, diabetes and hypertension.

Women with higher consumption of diet drinks were more likely to be younger, smokers, and have a history of diabetes, hypertension and overweight.

The researchers said these findings apply only to healthy postmenopausal women. The mean age of women in the WHI Observational Study was 62.8 years and the participants had no history of CVD at baseline.

“This study suggests an association between high diet drink consumption and adverse CVD events, as well as increased mortality. In general, our findings are concordant with existing data linking diet drink consumption to metabolic syndrome and CVD events,” Vyas said.

However, he said this was a hypothesis-generating study. “We only found an association, so we can’t say that diet drinks cause these problems.” – by Katie Kalvaitis

For more information:

Vyas A. Abstract 917-05. Presented at: American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions ; March 29-31, 2014; Washington, D.C.

Disclosure: Vyas reports no relevant financial disclosures.