Diet Sodas & Stroke: What's the Link?

In another announcement from the American Stroke Association's annual conference, researchers proclaimed to the lay press that those who drank diet soda daily had a 48% greater risk of having a stroke or some other vascular event. 

Unfortunately, the study has not yet been published so there hasn't been an adequate opportunity to evaluate the statistics behind their conclusion.  So it's difficult to make recommendations for the whole population based upon what could very well be a statistical fluke.

For instance, we do know that the authors followed 2,564 participants, average 69yo, from the Northern Manhattan Study for an average of 9+years.  Of these, only 116 drank diet soda daily, a small fraction of the total number of participants.  Do these 116 really represent all of us?  Maybe or maybe not.  I would still suggest reconsidering one's libation of choice to determine if indeed there might be a better, safer option, eg water.  Just sayin' . . .