article_snippet.sent: An EU funded project published in 2010 found pregnant women who down cans of fizzy drink containing artificial sweeteners appear to be at greater risk of having a premature baby.
article_snippet.sent: It is rare for a mother to be to give birth early - before 37 weeks - assuming all aspects of the pregnancy have been normal.
article_snippet.sent: good quality independent research which raises safety concerns found greater risk of having a premature baby was increased by 38 per cent if the woman was drinking an average of one can of diet drink a day.
article_snippet.sent: The statistics, gathered by academics in Denmark, showed that a woman who routinely drank at least four cans a day could increase greater risk of having a premature baby by as much as 78 per cent.
article_snippet.sent: This meant that if the risk of a premature birth was normally one in a 100, it increased to 1.78 in 100.