(and so does anything with added sugar)
We all know intuitively that sugary drinks are not good for you. We have also seen videos over the years that explain why.
A paper in the journal Circulation to be published tomorrow provides proof.
- Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are the single largest source of added sugar in the US diet.
- US adults consume 145 cal/day from SSB
- This is a large study – it followed data from the NHS (Nurses’ Health Study) and HPFS (Health Professionals Follow-up Study) – total patients followed ~ 170,000. There was a 34 year follow up.
- SSB contribute to weight gain and increase risk of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary disease, and stroke. However in this study, the risk of death was independent of these conditions.
Each additional daily 12-ounce serving of sugary drinks was associated with a 7 percent increased risk for death from any cause, a 5 percent increased risk for cancer death, and a 10 percent increased risk for death from cardiovascular disease.
“The optimal intake of these drinks is zero,” said the lead author, Vasanti S. Malik, a research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) are not much better since they increase the preference for intense sweetness and may also alter intestinal flora which may increase insulin resistance. Diet soda kills as well.