People who drink diet soda have a higher risk for strokes and dementia, according to a new study by the American Heart Association.

For people with diabetes like Jackie Budds, diet soda is the preferred choice for health reasons.

But the study found that those who drank at least one diet soda a day were three times as likely to develop dementia or have a stroke than people who don't drink it at all.

"So what should I die from?" Budds asks. "An overdose of sugar, being a diabetic, or should I die from something else? I don't know, I guess I have to pick my poison."

Other Long Islanders, like Adam Schwartz, drink diet soda because sugary drinks cause their own adverse health effects. There are also separate studies that show sugar-sweetened sodas can cause diabetes, obesity, heart disease and stroke.

"I would say that at least 75 percent of the continental US is drinking artificially sweetened beverages," says Dr. John Zaso, of East Meadow. He says that while the FDA deems artificial sweeteners safe, their effects later in life remain unknown.

And in addition to the new risks, he says diet sodas have been linked to poor health in the past.

"We do find higher incidents of diabetes and people being overweight in people drinking those artificially sweetened  beverages," Zaso says.

If you do drink diet soda, Dr. Zaso says to do it in moderation.