HEALTH WATCH: One soda a day is one too many – study
By Dr Cory Couillard
A new study indicates that drinking one or more cans of soda a day can increase one’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
One in five were at elevated risk of diabetes with as little as one can per day according to statistics published in the journal Diabetologia. Soda has also become a well-known cause of weight gain, obesity and heart disease.
The diabetic findings were similar to research published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation. There study followed 42,833 men’s diet, weight, smoking and exercise patterns for an average of 22 years. The primary finding of the study was men who drank one sugar-sweetened beverage per day had a 20 percent higher risk of suffering a heart attack.
The latest diabetes research was compiled from over 350,000 individuals in the UK, France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
"The consumption of sugar sweetened soft drinks increases your risk of diabetes – so for every can of soft drinks that you drink per day, the risk is higher,” says lead researcher Dora Romaguera.
Obesity and genetics were once classified as the primary cause of diabetes and heart disease but the findings of the studies suggest that it’s more related to the consumption of sugar and other dietary habits.
Soda has also been found to produce inflammation – a major cause of chronic, long-term health conditions. It increases internal visceral fat storage, puts additional stress on blood circulation and decreases overall organ function. Soda has also been shown to spike blood sugar, triglycerides levels as well as lower HDL or good cholesterol.
Sugary-beverage consumption "appears to be an independent risk factor for heart disease," says lead author Frank Hu, M.D., a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.
However, soda drinks are only part of the problem – they’re just one of the unnatural, highly processed foods that was looked at. Unhealthy sugars are in nearly all processed foods that are in a can, box or bag. They are commonly added because of their addictive, flavor-enhancing qualities.
Research has also linked eating processed foods and drinking soda to pancreatic cancer, metabolic syndrome, obesity and gout. Drinking two sodas per week increases the risk of pancreatic cancer by 87 percent according to the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Drinking one soda per day increases one’s risk of metabolic syndrome by 44 percent and a child’s risk of becoming obese by 60 percent. Drinking two sodas per day increases the risk of gout by 85 percent according to researchers at Boston University School of Medicine.
If you do drink soda, limit consumption to no more than one soda a couple times per week.
It’s important to eat and drink as healthy as possible. Hydration is one of the best ways to remove toxins and harmful substances such as sugary beverages and processed foods.
One’s body weight is approximately 60 percent water. Water is used in all of the cells, organs and tissues in the body. It’s been found that one must drink up to thirty-two glasses of water to counteract the effects of one soda.
Get active. If you don't already exercise at least three times a week, start now. Regular exercise helps maintain a healthy body weight, reduces blood pressure and normalizes blood sugar levels.
Dr Cory Couillard is an international healthcare speaker and columnist. He works in collaboration with the World Health Organization's goals of disease prevention and global healthcare education. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.
Email: drcorycouillard@gmail.com
Twitter: DrCoryCouillard
