If you like sweet drinks, such as soda, you need to know that it may be raising your risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
A new study looked at data from 37,716 men and 80,647 women to see if there was a correlation between consuming sugary drinks and a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. The researchers controlled for other factors, such as BMI, exercise and dietary factors, and still found that sugary drinks were associated with no only higher mortality rates from cardiovascular disease, but also higher cancer rates.
Is artificial sugar better?
So, should you switch from Coke to Diet Coke? Probably not. You’re much better off drinking water or even something like green tea. That’s because replacing a sugary drink with one that’s artificially sweetened only lowers your death risk slightly. And for women, it’s only worth switching to diet soda if you drink three or fewer artificially sweetened beverages per day. Otherwise, there’s a higher risk of death.
“Drinking water in place of sweet drinks is a healthy choice that could contribute to longevity,” explains the study’s lead author, Vasanti Malik. The research scientist, who works in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health adds, “Diet soda may be used to help frequent consumers of sugary drinks cut back their consumption, but water is the best and healthiest choice.”
Cardiovascular disease in the United States
Drinking sugary beverages isn’t the only risk factor associated with cardiovascular disease, although poor nutrition in general ranks near the top. Smoking tobacco and a lack of exercise can increase your risk for CVD.
How common is cardiovascular disease in the United States? In terms of the underlying cause of death, CVD accounts for about one in three deaths. When you add up the number of deaths due to cardiovascular disease, it amounts to more than deaths caused by cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease combined. In fact, it’s the leading cause of death around the globe.
