Another study on how soda consumption is associated with Bad Things … though this one had a twist (and not of lemon):
Adults who consume at least one soft drink a day are more likely to develop risk factors for heart disease than those who don’t, even if the beverage is diet, according to a study published today in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers studying about 3,500 middle-aged men and women as part of a larger, long-term heart study found an association between daily soft drink consumption and an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
People with metabolic syndrome — a combination of factors like high blood pressure and elevated triglycerides — are more likely to suffer diabetes and heart disease.
“In this group of middle-aged adults, consumption of just one or more soft drinks per day seemed to increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome by about 50 percent” whether the drink was artificially sweetened or not, said Dr. Ramachandran Vasan, senior author of the Framingham Heart Study and an associate professor at Boston University School of Medicine.
There have been plenty of similar study results in the past. What’s interesting here is that it included diet soda.
Although the researchers’ analysis adjusted the data for lifestyle-related factors like high calorie intake and less physical activity — factors that could help to explain the link between soda consumption and metabolic risks — the report falls short of proving exactly who or what should take the blame, Vasan said. “One of the important questions is, ‘Is it the soda drinker or the soda?” he said.
Researchers theorize that consumption of sweet drinks might condition a desire for sweeter foods, or that drinking more during one meal can lead to more solid food consumption during the next meal.
Hmmmm.
(via Margie)
So, for the most part just eat and drink in moderation…not much new there really.
Well, “one soft drink a day” seems fairly moderate, but a risk factor.
Talk to any nutritionist and they’ll tell you the same thing. The sweeteners in diet soda block the bodies ability to burn fat. Which is why a lot of diet drinkers actually have obesity problems. And regular soda has high fructose corn syrup (one of the most evil things) in it. Which raises the bodies insulin levels faster than cane sugar, or natural sugar found in fruit. Meaning the body burns the insulin for energy rather than fat. So it’s kinda a toss up as to which is worse.
Why is why I drink neither. I usually have tea, sometimes coffee, for caffeine, and sometimes an Izze for something sweet.
But for most things I tend to agree with Boulder Dude, moderation is key as almost all studies on food and related items show.
Oh, certainly. No question about that as a general rule.