Please read this important report from the AANP (and quit drinking sodas!). A great option to soda is to add a small amount of your favorite infused balsamic vinegar to sparkling water–delicious!! Navidi’s has wonderful balsamics for this and many of your culinary needs.
AANP Daily News – Soft Drinks Associated With Significant Stroke Risk In Women – (Friday, October 26, 2012) –Researchers have uncovered a much greater risk of ischemic stroke among women with the highest intake of soft drinks relative; perhaps surprisingly, this applies to both sugar-sweetened and low-calorie versions. There was no significant association between soft drinks and the risk of hemorrhagic stroke in women, or between soft drinks and a higher risk of strokes in men. (Soft drink intake has been associated with obesity and diabetes, but its relationship with cardiovascular risk has not been clear. Ischemic stroke is the type caused when a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot.)
The study followed 39,786 men and women, aged 40 to 59, for 18 years, and found no significant link between soft drinks and stroke risk in men. However, there was a dramatic association between highest soft drink consumption, at least one drink daily, and the risk of stroke in women; general stroke risk was 22 percent greater, and ischemic stroke risk, 83 percent greater. This recently released research will be published in a future issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It can be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/bwm29qf with fee or subscription.