Diet Soft Drinks May Increase Risk of Heart Disease |
Drinking more than one soft drink daily — whether it’s regular or diet — may be associated with an increase in the risk factors for heart disease, Framingham researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
“We were struck by the fact that it didn’t matter whether it was a diet or regular soda that participants consumed, the association with increased risk was present,” said Ramachandran Vasan, M.D., senior author of the Framingham Heart Study and professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. “In those who drink one or more soft drinks daily, there was an association of an increased risk of developing the metabolic syndrome.”
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk factors including excess waist circumference, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low levels of “good” cholesterol and high fasting glucose levels. The presence of three or more of the factors increases a person’s risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
To read the full press release from the American Heart Association (AHA) go to: Diet and regular soft drinks linked to increase in risk factors for heart disease
To listen to the AHA's podcast on the topic go to: Play Audio: 5 min. 23 sec.
To view the AHA's video on the topic go to: Play Video: Microsoft Windows Media, File Size 6567.0 KB
To get more information on protecting the health of you & your family from the AHA go to: American Heart Association
To read two previous posts on other health risks associated with soft drinks go to:
