Diet sodas are not the lesser evil; they are just as evil as regular soda, and some argue they are actually worse. Linking low- or zero-calorie soft drinks to specific illnesses is tricky, and researchers are cautious to call them flat-out dangerous or point to cause and effect. It is not always clear if the problem is the drink itself or if it is the result of other factors, such as obesity. Though the cause of the problem many not be definitive, no health experts will recommend drinking diet soda instead of, say, water or juice. The undeniable fact is that soft drinks offer little to no nutritional value. To identify 10 reasons why people should stop drinking diet soda, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed scores of medical studies and meta-analyses in journals published by nonprofit health organizations, such as the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Associations, which examine the health effects of artificially sweetened beverages.

The latest research is frightening. It’s based upon data collected over 12 years and suggests that consuming just five diet drinks (sodas, juices, other) correlates to a much higher risk of stroke and heart disease, and in fact a dramatically higher risk of dying early from any cause. This data was extrapolated from a study on people over the age of 50, who did not have other major health problems. They were essentially well, but after drinking artificially sweetened drinks for 12 years, a lot of them had a stroke.

What’s wrong with water? Water does not come with the risk that one day someone will have to change your adult diapers. Water makes sense, yet some health practitioners recommend “diet” beverages to cut calories, support weight loss or improve health status. Very sad.
The study that I’ve been referring to is entitled: “Artificially sweetened beverages and stroke, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality” in the Women’s Health Initiative.
The study finds your risk for a hemorrhagic stroke is dramatically higher if you drink a lot of diet sodas. No brand is the problem, it’s the artificial chemicals inside of these drinks. It’s egregious that these things are not only allowed to be sold, no less pitched to you as some healthy alternative. So, it’s up to you to know better.  

The newest research was published in a journal called Stroke. Over 80,000 women were studied, most between the ages of 55 and 79. Drinking a couple of diet drinks each day (335ml which is the amount in a typical can of soda) increases your risk for stroke by 23 percent compared to women who drink less than one per week.
Every 40 seconds, someone in the US has a stroke. If survived, a stroke can leave one paralyzed and sometimes in need of nursing home care or bed-ridden. Other post-TIA or stroke disabilities include confusion, inability to speak or understand language, poor memory, difficulty swallowing food (requiring a feeding tube) or blindness and/or hearing loss.

Other factors that further raise your risk include being overweight, sedentary, nutritionally deficient in essential nutrients or fatty acids that support brain health, and of course your genes. Impending signs include sudden eyesight loss or visual changes, slurring, inability to speak or understand, tingling and balance problems.

Source: https://www.marconews.com/story/life/2019/02/21/ask-pharmacist-diet-drinks-may-increase-stroke-and-disability/2939347002/