One can of diet soda a day may raise your risk nearly threefold. There really is no good reason to include artificially sweetened foods in your diet. They don't assist weight loss, but they can have disastrous effects on your health. This particular research was published in Stroke, the journal of the American Heart Association. The authors of the study stated “After adjustments for age, sex, education, calorific intake, diet quality, physical activity and smoking, higher recent and higher cumulative intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks were associated with an increased risk of ischaemic stroke, all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease dementia". Individuals who consumed at least one can of diet soda each day were 2.96 times more likely to experience an ischaemic stroke and 2.89 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than people who consume them less than once a week. An ischaemic stroke is where blood cannot flow to the brain because of a blockage, usually caused by a blood clot forming in either an artery leading to the brain or inside a vein in the brain. Strokes are a major cause of death and disability in individuals over the age of 60. Many people survive a stroke, but they are left permanently disabled and not able to work. This places an enormous emotional and financial strain on the individual and their family. In a similar way, dementia usually causes a slow death and severely compromises quality of life. Please keep in mind that artificial sweeteners are not only found in diet soda. They are in items such as diet yoghurt, sugar free gum and a lot of diet foods. If you are struggling to lose weight, I have written about all the hidden metabolic causes of weight gain in my book I Can’t Lose Weight and I Don’t Know Why. Good health is really your greatest asset, but too few people realise this until they develop a health problem. Please check the ingredients list of every item you consume and be vigilant about avoiding artificial sweeteners and other chemical additives. Reference