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Experts are questioning whether diet drinks could raise depression risk, after a large study has found a link.

The US research in more than 250,000 people found depression was more common among frequent consumers of artificially sweetened beverages.

The work, which will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting, did not look at the cause for this link.

Drinking coffee was linked with a lower risk of depression.

People who drank four cups a day were 10% less likely to be diagnosed with depression during the 10-year study period than those who drank no coffee.

But those who drank four cans or glasses of diet fizzy drinks or artificially sweetened juice a day increased their risk of depression by about a third.

Experts are questioning whether diet drinks could raise depression risk, after a large study has found a link

Experts are questioning whether diet drinks could raise depression risk, after a large study has found a link

Lead researcher Dr. Honglei Chen, of the National Institutes of Health in North Carolina, said: “Our research suggests that cutting out or down on sweetened diet drinks or replacing them with unsweetened coffee may naturally help lower your depression risk.”

But he said more studies were needed to explore this.

There are many other factors that may be involved.

And the findings – in people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s and living in the US – might not apply to other populations.

The safety of sweeteners, like aspartame, has been extensively tested by scientists and is assured by regulators.

Gaynor Bussell, of the British Dietetic Association, said: “Sweeteners used to be called <<artificial>> sweeteners and unfortunately the term ‘artificial’ has evoked suspicion. As a result, sweeteners have been very widely tested and reviewed for safety and the ones on the market have an excellent safety track record.

“However, the studies on them continue and this one has thrown up a possibly link – not a cause and effect – with depression.”

She said the study was a “one-off” and did not mean that sweeteners caused depression.

“For a start, people who suffer from depression may latch on to the idea that it is their sweetened beverages that caused it and so add a bias to their reporting of past intake, especially as <<soda>> in the US is demonized even more than in the UK. Also, it may be that drinking <<diet>> drinks is a marker for obesity or diabetes which in themselves can cause depression.

“Non-calorific sweeteners can play a useful role in the diets of those trying to lose weight and diabetics and it is certainly not advocated that people should replace their diet sodas with more coffee.”

A new research suggests that many people underestimate the amount of sugar in drinks which are perceived to be “healthy”.

A Glasgow University study asked more than 2,000 people in the UK to estimate how much sugar was in a range of drinks.

While many overestimated the amount in fizzy beverages, they underestimated levels in smoothies and fruit juices.

The research also found soft drinks could be accounting for a large chunk of their recommended calorie intake.

The team asked participants to assess their weekly drinking habits.

Their answers suggested 450 calories a day were being consumed – a quarter of the daily limit for women and a fifth for men.

But it was the lack of awareness about the sugar content of drinks that caused concern.

The participants were asked to guess the number of teaspoons of sugar in a range of popular drinks.

They underestimated it for pure apple juice and orange juice, a caffeinated energy drink and a smoothie by between two and four teaspoons.

And for a pomegranate-based drink, they underestimated the sugar content by nearly 18 teaspoons.

A new research suggests that many people underestimate the amount of sugar in drinks which are perceived to be "healthy".

A new research suggests that many people underestimate the amount of sugar in drinks which are perceived to be "healthy".

Unsurprisingly, many participants were not taking the calorie content of their soft drinks into account when thinking about their diet.

The team warned that the over-consumption of soft drinks was contributing to obesity and was a major risk factor for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

Lead researcher Professor Naveed Sattar said: “What you drink can be as damaging to the body as what you eat.

“There is no question that consuming too many sugar-sweetened drinks can greatly contribute to obesity.

“Some varieties of drinks such as pure fruit juices and smoothies, which are perceived as <<healthy>> options, are also very high in sugar.

“For many people struggling with their weight, reducing their intake of such drinks and replacing with water or diet drinks would be a sensible first target to help them lessen their calorie intake.”