Diet Soda and Stroke

New research recently presented at the International Stroke Conference in California has linked diet soda to an increased risk of stroke and heart disease. Astoundingly, researchers found that people who drink diet soda on a daily basis were 48% more likely to have a stroke or to develop heart disease than people who did not drink any diet soda at all. Oddly enough, the researchers could not figure out exactly why this happens. Some of the scientists theorize that the high sodium in diet soda was the connecting factor; others suggest that people who drink diet soda tend to be overweight, less active and smoke or drink alcohol. While the sodium level in diet soda is certainly a factor (too much sodium in the diet has been proven to cause strokes), diet soda deserves a much more thorough examination of its ingredients and their affects on health. For instance, the main ingredient in diet soda, the ingredient that gives soda its diet properties and zero calories, is man-made artificial sweetener. Artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame (Nutra Sweet), Sucrolose and Splenda, are excitotoxins. Excitotoxins are chemicals that react with specialized receptors in the brain in a way that leads to the degeneration of certain types of brain cells. Scientists are finding that excitotoxins play a critical role in the development of neurological disorders, such as migraine headaches, seizures, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease. Interestingly enough, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders lists stroke as one of its primary neurological disorders. Hmmm. Diet soda increases the risk of stroke. Artificial sweeteners are excitotoxins that may lead to neurological disorders, such as stroke. Diet soda contains artificial sweeteners. Eureka!! I think I just found another likely link to stroke and diet soda! That wasn't too hard. The bottom line is that when man-made chemically enhanced ingredients are placed in our food supply (soft drinks and processed foods); the eventual result is ill health. To be healthy, one has to eat naturally. The occasional junky, processed food in our diet is probably not too big a deal, but when the diet is made up of a majority of man-made, engineered or processed and altered foods, you can bet your bottom dollar that trouble is on the way.

Thought for the Week: Food is an important part of a balanced diet. ~Fran Lebowitz

Chiropractic Thought for the Week: The nervous system and the immune system are directly connected and work together to develop maximum responses for the body to adapt and heal correctly. Neural malfunction (that occurs) due to spinal misalignment produces stress on the body and causes abnormal changes, which leads to a poor coordinated immune system response. Chiropractic spinal adjustments have been demonstrated to heighten the coordinated responses of the nervous and immune systems. In 2005, in a landmark study, it was established that chiropractic care could influence basic physiological processes that affect oxidative stress and DNA repair. These findings provided a scientific explanation for the positive influence on the immune system and the health benefits in patients who receive chiropractic care.

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