Diet Soda and Depression Link

You may want to drop that diet soda…new research suggests it could be a downer. A brand new study makes a connection between sweetened drinks especially diet beverages containing artificial sweetners…and depression.

Study participants who drank more than four sodas a day were 30 percent more likely to develop depression than those who drank no soda. Four cans of fruit punch a day upped that number to 38%.

Digging deeper, the risk was even greater for people who drank diet soda, diet fruit punch and diet iced tea – all containing artificial sweeteners.

On the other hand, people who drank four cups of unsweetened coffee a day were about 10 percent less likely to be depressed.

The bottom line? Cutting down on sweetened diet drinks…or making the switch to plain coffee may offer some natural protection, but they strongly emphasize that people taking depression medication prescribed by their doctor should continue to do so.