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It depends on which factors matter most for you. Sleep, exercise, diet, smoking, alcohol, and blood pressure each shift life expectancy differently. A free quiz can estimate your lifespan and biological age in about 5 minutes, then show which habit would add the most years. YapSpan uses published study figures so you can see exactly where each estimate comes from.

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Biological age is an estimate of how old your body acts based on health markers and lifestyle habits, as opposed to your chronological age (years since birth). Someone with healthy habits may have a biological age younger than their birthday age.

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Diet drinks

From the YapSpan Longevity Wiki · Updated 2026-10-01

Test yourself: Diet quiz13 questions · ~2 minStart →

Diet drinks, also called artificially sweetened beverages, are soft drinks and other beverages sweetened with low- or no-calorie sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose or stevia instead of sugar. They provide little or no energy and are often chosen as a replacement for sugary drinks, particularly by people trying to lose weight or manage diabetes.

A 2024 meta-analysis (a study that pools the results of earlier studies) of prospective studies (studies that follow people forward in time) with 2,196,503 participants found that the highest intake of artificially sweetened drinks was associated with 13% higher all-cause mortality (death from any cause) than the lowest [1]. Analyses designed to reduce bias have not found this harm [2].

The highest intake of artificially sweetened drinks was associated with 13% higher all-cause mortality and 26% higher cardiovascular mortality than the lowest [1].
Replacing one sugary drink a day with an artificially sweetened one was associated with 4 to 6% lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality [1].
Risk followed a J-shaped curve: about 1 serving a day showed no clear excess risk, while 2.5 servings a day was associated with 13% higher all-cause mortality [3].
When cohort studies were analysed in ways that reduce bias, low- and no-calorie sweeteners were associated with lower, not higher, all-cause mortality [2].

Test yourself: Diet quiz13 questions · ~2 minStart →

The 2024 meta-analysis compared the highest with the lowest intake [1]. The relative risk (the risk in one group relative to another) for all-cause mortality was 1.13, with a 95% confidence interval (the range the true value probably lies in) of 1.06 to 1.21 [1]. For cardiovascular mortality it was 1.26 [1]. The authors graded the evidence quality for these associations as moderate [1].

A 2021 meta-analysis found a J-shaped pattern, with hazard ratios (rates of death relative to non-drinkers) of 1.01 at 1 serving a day, 1.08 at 2 servings and 1.13 at 2.5 servings [3]. A 2025 umbrella review (a review of earlier meta-analyses) found higher mortality in simple analyses but lower mortality in bias-adjusted analyses, which compare substitutions or changes in intake [2]. Sugar-sweetened drinks are covered under sugary drinks.

The evidence is observational (it tracks people's existing drinking habits rather than assigning them), so it shows associations rather than proof of cause. People often switch to diet drinks after a diagnosis such as diabetes or obesity, so illness can come before the drinking rather than after it, a pattern called reverse causation. Analyses built to remove that bias find no harm, and the umbrella review rated the certainty of the cohort evidence very low [2]. Weight and blood sugar are discussed under metabolic health.

Categories: Foods|Nutrition|Metabolic health|Longevity Wiki

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YapSpan estimates are for reflection and entertainment only. They are not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prediction of any individual outcome. Check with a doctor before making any medical decision.

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