Daily consumption of the drink is associated with a 44% higher risk of heart attack or stroke.
Daily consumption of a diet car increases the risk of heart attack or stroke, according to US scientists.
The study did not prove that the diet car was the only cause of the increased danger, but a link was found that could be due to the unhealthy habits of the participants, suggests lead researcher Hannah Gardner of the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami.
According to scientists, consumers of diet cola are generally prone to weight problems and more often have cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes.
The study involved 2,564 people aged 69. A decade later, 591 men and women suffered heart attacks, strokes or no cardiovascular disease, including 31% of people who drank diet cola daily at the start of the study.
Regular consumption of the drink is associated with a 44% higher risk of heart attack or stroke, compared with 22% in people who consume it infrequently or never.
It is not yet clear how diet cola has a negative effect on health, scientists explain. Research continues.
The results are published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine .