Sugary and Artificially Sweetened Beverages: Heavy Drinkers Will Pay a Heavy Toll

Soft drinks, sugary drinks, or sugar-sweetened beverages, as the name suggests, are any drinks that are added with sugar or sweeteners. These may be high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, or fruit juice concentrates. Soda, pop, cola, tonic, fruit punch, lemonades, sweetened powdered drinks, and energy drinks are just some samples.

These drinks are one of the main reasons a person can die from heart disease, according to a study.

Other results of the research study were that asides from heart disease, compared to people who avoid sugary drinks, people who regularly drink sugary or artificially sweetened beverages are likely to have a stroke. Also, diet versions are just the same as regular sugar-sweetened beverages, that people will still likely get heart problems if they drink them every day.

The research study involved data for over 100,000 people included in the study in the NutriNet-Santé cohort. It is a recent online study in France where they cord their patients’ diet, level of activity, and the status of their health every 6 months.

A researcher mentioned that as sugary drinks are high in demand everywhere in the world, more proof is seen on how they can be dangerous to people with heart problems, or even for people who don’t have issues with their heart health.

Even with artificially sweetened drinks, they are no better than the regular ones. Although they are marketed as a healthier alternative, they still pose the same risks. The study found no benefit in ingesting sugary or artificially sweetened beverages.

Dr. Andrew Freeman, a cardiologist, and co-chair of the American College of Cardiology nutrition and lifestyle work group, also shared his thoughts about the subject.

“We already know that sugar-sweetened beverages are bad news with cardiovascular and other health outcomes.”

As an example, a 2019 study found women who had over two servings a day(which may either be a standard glass, bottle or can) had over 60% increased chance of premature death, compared to women who drank sodas, sports drinks, or juice less than once a month.

Men had a risk of almost 30% if they drank over two servings of sugary or artificially sweetened drinks.

A spokesperson for the American Beverage Association has informed CNN through email, that non-calorie sweeteners are considered safe by regulatory bodies worldwide, and there is enough research to conclude that sweeteners are actually useful for people who’d like to lessen their sugar consumption and eventually manage their weight.

Danielle Smotkin also said, “We support the WHO’s call for people to reduce sugar in their diets and we are doing our part by creating innovative beverages with less sugar or zero sugar, clear calorie labeling, responsible marketing practices, and smaller package sizes.”

Researchers mentioned there is a causal link that needs to be found between sugary and artificially sweetened beverages and heart disease. People should do it on a larger scale and will also need mechanistic research.

Editor’s Note on Why Sugary Drinks Are a Leading Cause of Heart Disease:

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