The Soda Epidemic

(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

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