In a new study, Dr. Kenneth M. Heilman, a neurologist at the University of Florida College of Medicine, and his colleagues tracked 264,000 participants aged 50 to 71 for a decade. The results found that participants who frequently drank diet cola, fruit wine, and sweetened iced tea had a significantly higher incidence of depression. People who drank four cans of diet cola per day had a 30% increased risk of depression, while drinking four cups of coffee per day could reduce the risk of depression by 10%.
Researchers analyzed that the artificial sweetener aspartame in sweet drinks may be the key to the problem. Although this research finding does not prove that sweet drinks cause depression, there is indeed a clear association between the two. Therefore, reducing the intake of sweet drinks can help lower the risk of depression.