Drinking Sugar Sweetened Beverages Increases Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Weight Gain

I think it's pretty clear that if people continue to consume large amounts of sodas and sweetened drinks, they are placing their health at risk. Now there is a new study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health that provides stronger evidence of linking Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome to the consumption of sodas and other drinks sweetened with sugar or corn syrup. Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors occurring together that increase the risk of coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. That's no news to some folks, but others really need to listen up to this latest research.

Drinking Sodas Leads to Weight Gain, Risk of Obesity

MSNBC reports that the average American adult eats about 22 teaspoons of sugar each day; teens eat about 34 teaspoons every day according to the American Heart Association. And guess where most of that sugar comes from-sugar-sweentened sodas. The AHA says that women should be getting about 9 teaspoons of added sugar each day while men should get about 9 teaspoons. It is now known for certain that people consume large amounts of added sugar, the total calories consumed will be increased and that will lead to weight gain. It's that sugar and the extra weight that lead to diabetes.

Despite Health Risks, Soda Consumption Increases Year After Year

The amount of sodas and sugar-sweetened drinks has increased remarkably over the past few years and it appears there is no sign of letting up. Even though scientific studies and research conducted around the world have proven that consuming large amounts of sugar lead to weight gain and the risk of obesity, people still continue to drink sodas. 13.15 billion gallons of carbonated drinks are consumed every year in the U.S. That's about 3 quarts of soda every week for every American. According to most experts, too much sugar-sweetened soda is consumed by folks every day.

Harvard Research Study Makes the Case for Drinking Less Soda

Vasanti Malik is the lead author of the Harvard study is research fellow for the HSPH Department of Nutrition and states, "Many previous studies have examined the relationship between sugar-sweetened beverages and risk of diabetes, and most have found positive associations but our study, which is a pooled analysis of the available studies, provides an overall picture of the magnitude of risk and the consistency of the evidence." In other words, there is now solid evidence that drinking too much soda or drinks sweetened with sugar can lead to diabetes and other health risks.

So, all the research and scientific studies that have been conducted over the years linking the consumption of sugary sodas with development of diabetes, weight gain, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. That means that folks who continue slamming down several sodas each day are more likely to get sick later. Seriously sick. The risk for coronary artery disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes may indeed be in the future of those who drink too much soda or sugar-sweetened drinks.

Cut back, way back, on sugar, says heart group

Sugary Drinks or Diet Drinks: What's the Best Choice?

OrganicConsumers.org