A recent study warns of the health risks with diet drinks for women aged 50 and above. After menopause, the American Heart Association has a simple message: Choose water over diet drinks. A study published Thursday in Stroke, a journal of the AHA, reveals women age 50 and above who consume more than one artificially sweetened drink a day are significantly more likely to have a stroke, a heart attack and an early death. Even women with no history of heart disease or diabetes are considerably more vulnerable to increased health risks if they drink multiple diet beverages a day. The results of the study, which examined data on 81,714 women ages 50-79 tracked for an average of 11.9 years beginning in the mid-to-late ’90s, may come as a blow to those trying to fend off weight gain by eschewing regular sodas in favor of low-calorie alternatives. For more on this story: https://bit.ly/2tkyceQ Do you like what you see? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/1xa3XAh Like USA TODAY on Facebook: https://www.t.com/usatoday Follow USA TODAY on Twitter: https://twitter.com/USATODAY