Higher intake of diet drinks may increase health risks in postmenopausal women. In a study of 81,714 postmenopausal women, those who drank two or more artificially sweetened beverages a day were at significantly increased risk for stroke, ischemic stroke (but not hemorrhagic stroke), coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality, compared with women who consumed no diet drinks or less than one diet drink per week. The observational study controlled for risk factors and other variables. The risk of small artery occlusion (SAO) ischemic stroke, an ischemic stroke subtype, was notably elevated among women who frequently drank diet sodas and fruit drinks. This is a new finding suggesting "there may be a pathway leading to vascular injury related to SAO," the authors write in the March issue of Stroke.