Soft drinks may be linked to heart disease and diabetes
Whether you call it “soda” or “pop,” our love affair with soft drinks may be getting another reality check. Research now links soft drinks with increased risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. Researchers found that adults who drink one or more sodas a day—diet or regular—had about a 50 to 60 percent higher risk of rnetabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors such as excessive fat around the waist, low levels of “good” cholesterol, high blood pressure, and other symptoms. This news comes from the ongoing rnultigenerational heart study, the Framingham Study, which was begun in 1948 in a town outside of Boston. The latest findings included about six thousand middle-aged men and women who were observed over four years. They all started out healthy, with no risk factors for metabolic syndrome.
What is it about soft drinks that may alter your metabolism? For one thing, sweeteners, both artificial and natural, may increase the craving for more sweets, and people who indulge in sodas probably have less healthy diets overall. Another theory has to da with the colorings in sodas—particularly the caramel flavoring it may interfere with insulin regulation, which also alters how well the body deals with calories. Diet or not, these beverages should be cor~ered an occasional treat and not an everyday staple.