If you're trying to reduce sugar and calories in your diet, you may want to turn to artificial sweeteners or other sugar substitutes. Some of those alternatives, however, are linked to an increase in certain diseases, including dementia and Type 2 diabetes. Dr. Brandy Patterson explains in this segment of "Straight Talk MD." 

Hi, welcome to "Straight Talk MD." I'm Dr. Brandy P. There are many foods and beverages available today that bill themselves as healthier alternatives. Chief among them-- diet sodas. These artificially sweetened drinks are typically lower in calories than regular soda. 

But now that these products have been available for a while, we've had a chance to investigate the long-term impacts of consumption. We now know that they are far from healthy. The artificial sweeteners found in diet drinks, saccharin and aspartame, for example, have already been linked with an increase in dementia, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and Type 2 diabetes. 

The population based women's health initiative, which examined causes of morbidity and mortality in postmenopausal women, is shedding light on yet another risk of consuming artificial sweeteners. This study, followed postmenopausal women, ages 50 to 79, for almost 12 years. Those with no history of diabetes or heart disease, but who drank two or more artificially sweetened 12 ounce beverages per day had a significantly increased risk of clot based strokes, heart attacks, and early death. 

The risk was highest among those women who were obese and/or African-American. After controlling for lifestyle factors, the study found that women who consumed two or more artificially sweetened beverages each day were 31% more likely to have a clot based stroke, 29% more likely to have heart disease, and 16% more likely to die from any cause than women who drank diet beverages less than once a week or none at all. 

Although this particular study included postmenopausal women only, I believe that there is enough evidence from this and previous studies to conclude that consuming more than two artificially sweetened beverages per day is just not a healthy option for anyone. That doesn't mean you should make the switch back to regular soda. Those are loaded with unhealthy sugars and corn syrup. 

Instead, try adding some fresh fruit, like a lemon or a lime to a glass of water or sparkling water. Break that soda habit. I know you can do it. And you're going to be better off for it. Thanks for watching this segment of "Straight Talk MD."