Do you really need that diet soda?

Research connects the drinks to higher heart risks.

You may think you're doing yourself a favor by opting for an ice-cold diet soda every afternoon instead of the sugar-sweetened version and all the calories that go with it. Not so fast: recent research suggests that diet sodas may also lead to problems.

In a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, researchers found that people who drank diet sodas daily were at a higher risk for vascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, compared with those who drank fewer diet sodas or even those who drank regular sugar-sweetened sodas.