In the past 10 years, sweetened soft drinks drowned us in a tidal wave
of diabetes and heart disease, according to a new U.S. study, reported
by HealthDay
News.
Specifically, the study linked
sweetened beverages to 130,000 new cases of diabetes, 14,000 new cases
of heart disease and an increase in the years people lived with heart
disease.
For the study, researchers
applied a computer simulation of heart disease to obesity and dietary
salt, conditions that are risk factors for cardiovascular
illnesses.
“We probably underestimated the
incidence, because the rise is greatest among the young, and our model
focuses on adults 35 and older,” said Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD, PhD,
an associate professor of medicine at the University of California in
San Francisco, and the study’s lead
author.
“Whatever the mechanism, large population
studies do suggest an effect of drinking lots of sweetened beverages,”
Bibbins-Domingo added. “No one argues that these drinks are not fine in
moderation, but over the past decade their consumption has been on the
rise, while consumption of other beverages has
declined.”
Since the study hasn’t been published in
a scientific journal, other researchers haven’t yet reviewed the
findings, said Maureen Storey, senior vice president for science policy
for the American Beverage Association.
Storey issued
a statement saying that the American Heart Association does not list
the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks as a heart disease risk
factor.
But that doesn’t mean reducing consumption
of these beverages won’t boost people’s health, countered
Bibbins-Domingo.
To counter the health risks
associated with sugary drinks, some politicians have proposed taxing
the beverages. Bibbins-Domingo said that any policy that would reduce
the number of sweetened drinks consumed has scientific merit because
“evidence in populations has consistently shown that more than one
[sugary] drink a day increases your risk” of heart disease and
diabetes.
But Storey called these two diseases
complex conditions that have no single cause and single
solution.
“We need to continue to educate Americans
about the importance of balancing the calories from the foods and
beverages we eat and drink with regular physical activity,” Storey
said.
And what does the American Heart Association
(AHA) say?
Simply put, the AHA advises people to
stop drinking so many sugary drinks, such as sodas, said Robert H.
Eckel, MD, a past president of the association, and a professor of
medicine at the University of Colorado.
The
recommended daily sugar intake for men is found in one can of
sugar-sweetened soda; for women, it is slightly less, Eckel
said.
Eckel stressed that there are other healthier
sweet-drink choices for people, such as nutrient-rich, 100 percent
fruit juice.
To read more about the cardiovascular
effects of dietary sugar, click here to visit the American Heart
Association’s website.
NEW! Scroll down to comment on this story.
Please click OK to confirm your comment and confirm you accept our posting rules. Note your message will be reviewed by our staff before going live.
