(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A soda or sports drink may cool you off or quench
your thirst, but as you satisfy your sweet tooth, you may also be causing
serious harm to your body.
New research shows the increase in consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas, sport
drinks and fruit drinks has correlated to an increase in the number of patients
diagnosed with diabetes and heart disease over the past decade.
Researchers estimate that the increased consumption of sugary drinks between
1990 and 2000 contributed to 130,000 new cases of diabetes, 14,000 new cases of
coronary heart disease and 50,000 additional life-years burdened by coronary
heart disease. These drinks contain about 120 to 200 calories per serving and
have also contributed to the nation's rising obesity rate.
The American Heart Association recommends a discretionary calorie limit for
added sugars, which is no more than 100 calories per day for women and 150
calories per day for men.
"We want to make the general public more aware of the adverse health outcomes of
consuming these drinks over time," Listsa Lambrakos, M.D., an internal medicine
resident at the University of California, San Francisco, was quoted as saying.
"We want to help support disease prevention and curb consumption of these drinks
that lead to poor health outcomes and increased healthcare costs for the average
American."
Source: American Heart Association's 50th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular
Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, March 5, 2010
