HEALTH INFO - Drinking Soda is Even Worse For You Than We Thought

DANGERS OF DRINKING SODA

Drinking Soda is Even Worse For You Than We Thought

The latest research presents yet another reason to lay off of sweetened carbonated beverages.

PUBLISHED: APRIL 14, 2014  |  BY ESTHER CRAIN

Recent studies have already connected soft drinks and other sugary beverages with diseases such as diabetes and obesity—and previous research has found a correlation between soda and a higher likelihood of suffering a stroke. The latest nail in soda's coffin is a study from theJournal of Nutrition, which suggests that, while an occasional bottle of pop every few weeks won't do much damage, sipping more than two eight-ounce sodas or sweetened juice drinks per day raises your stroke risk by up to 22 percent. 

Researchers used self-reported data from about 68,000 men and women, who filled out questionnaires about how often they consumed sweetened drinks, what their workout routines were, and more. After following up with study participants 10 years later, researchers found an association between those who consumed more than two sodas a day and higher odds of a type of stroke called a cerebral infarction (which is caused by a blockage of blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the brain). It didn't matter if the drinks were sweetened with artificial sweeteners or real ones, either; both increased study subjects' risk of a cerebral infarction, as well as their overall risk of any type of stroke. 

Now, it's important to keep in mind that self-reported data is often unreliable. It's entirely possible that the people in the study were under-reporting how much soda they drank daily (either intentionally or unintentionally), which could skew the results. But still—pretty scary stuff.

What's the mechanism behind the soda-stroke link? Researchers aren't sure, but they theorize that soda increases blood-glucose levels, which in turn boosts a person's odds of developing diabetes—a known risk factor for cerebral infarction. It may also be that soda increases inflammation in the body, and inflammation is also associated with stroke risk. Whatever is behind the study findings, the bottom line is this: You should make soda or sweetened fruit drinks an occasional splurge or treat, not the beverages you wash your meals down with on a regular basis. 

Source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com