Your daily soda might have bigger consequences than you think. A new study published by the American Heart Association reveals a connection between artificially sweetened beverages, such as soda, and an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, or AFib.

According to the study, participants who drank more than two liters of artificially sweetened beverages a week had a 20% greater risk of developing AFib than those who did not. Consuming two or more liters of sugar-sweetened beverages increased that risk by 10%. That’s about one 12-ounce soda six days a week.

Smokers who also drank more than two liters of sugar-sweetened beverages a week increased their risk by 31%.

“AFib is an intermittent or persistent disturbance of heart rhythm in the atria, the upper chambers of the heart,” explains Dr. Robert Johnson, a cardiologist with Advocate Health Care. “Even intermittent AFib with a relatively low strain on the heart can significantly increase your risk of stroke.”

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