Coca-Cola is partnering with the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to use the company’s famous diet cola to warn women about the risk of contracting heart disease.

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American women, claiming the lives of one in four, according to the NHLBI. About 51% of Diet Coke consumers are women, the company says.

Still, the Health Blog wondered about the connection between a sweet soda, even one that’s sugar-free, and heart health. Coke says the sponsorship is perfectly in keeping, since Diet Coke is consumed by women who want to watch their calories – and therefore minimize risk factors for heart disease. “Our reach with consumers has told us that women today are increasingly mindful of making choices that positively impact their lives. For them, drinking Diet Coke is an essential part of their modern pursuit of well-being,” Katie Bayne, chief marketing officer for Coke’s North American business, says in the company’s announcement.

The institute has been working for about six years on getting the message out to women through its Heart Truth campaign. The centerpiece of the institute’s campaign is the Red Dress, which the NHLBI calls a national symbol for women and heart disease awareness.

But many public health officials worry the message isn’t being heard, even at a time when they’re getting through to women about steps to prevent other deadly diseases, such as breast cancer.

So Coca-Cola will sponsor the NHLBI’s Red Dress collection fashion show during Fashion Week in February. The Atlanta company will also sponsor a road show for the Red Dress Collection – an elegant assortment of red designer frocks – on a tour of 10 U.S. cities.

In addition, Coke will run an advertising campaign and feature the NHLBI’s Heart Truth campaign and Red Dress logos on 2.5 billion bottles and cans of Diet Coke, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke, and Diet Coke Plus, a soda enhanced with vitamins and minerals, starting later this month through May.

Coke has also sponsored the campaign before through its Minute Maid juices. Other corporate sponsors of the Heart Truth campaign have included Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo’s Quaker Oatmeal, and General Mills’ Cheerios, according to the campaign’s Web site.