Artificially sweetened drinks linked to risk of irregular heartbeat, study finds

Chinese researchers say consumption of diet soda can increase atrial fibrillation risk by as much as 20%

Consuming more than two liters of diet soda or other artificially sweetened drinks a week can increase the risk of a dangerous irregular heartbeat by 20% compared with people who drink none, according to a new study by researchers in China.

The study, from Shanghai, found that people who drink such beverages are more susceptible to a condition known as atrial fibrillation.