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Heart Health

The lowdown on low-calorie sweeteners

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An advisory from the American Heart Association says beverages with low-calorie sweeteners are an acceptable way to curb the use of regular sugar-sweetened beverages, which are linked to diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and other risks for heart disease. Short-term studies suggest that replacing regular sugary soda with diet soda helps people control their weight, while longer-term studies are less definitive. But two large, long-running Harvard studies found no increased risk of obesity and diabetes among people who regularly drank beverages with low-calorie sweeteners.

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