Consumption of soft drinks increases mortality. A study of 451,743 adults in 10 European countries found a significant link between soft drink consumption and increased mortality, especially among those who consumed artificially sweetened drinks. Published in the September 3 JAMA Internal Medicine, the study found that those consuming sugar-sweetened soft drinks had an 8% greater risk of mortality than those who did not, while those consuming artificially sweetened soft drinks had a 26% greater mortality risk. Analyses of soft drink consumption on specific causes of death revealed that artificially sweetened soft drink consumption increased the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 50%, while sugar-sweetened drinks similarly increased the risk of death from digestive disease.