It's not just sodas: Drinking too much juice linked to the risk of premature death



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NEW YORK (CNN) – Many sweet drinks have little or no nutritional value, many calories and their harmful health effects have been well documented. At present, one study links excessive consumption of sugary drinks – and even 100% natural fruit juice – with an increased risk of premature death.

More specifically, drinking excessive amounts of fruit juice could increase the risk of premature death by 9 to 42%, according to the study published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Overall, the sugars found in orange juice, while natural, are very similar to the sugars added to soda and other sugary drinks, the study says.

"Sugary drinks, be it soft drinks or fruit juices, should be limited," wrote in an email Jean A. Welsh, co-author of the study and Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University, Atlanta.

Seven US cities, including New York and more recently Philadelphia, levied taxes on sweetened beverages with added sugarin order to reduce consumption. These laws often highlight how soda and other sugary drinks contribute to the obesity epidemic in children and the high rates of diabetes in adults.

The new study defined"sweetened beverages" such as soda and fruit-flavored infusions, and 100% natural fruit juices with no added sugar. So how does fruit juice compare to soda?

"Previous research has shown that a high intake of sugars, such as soft drinks and fruit juices, is linked to several risk factors for cardiovascular disease," explained Welsh. Obesity, diabetes and high levels of triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood) are some of the risk factors associated with excessive sugar consumption. "Few studies have been able to examine the impact of this consumption on mortality risk," she said.

To address this problem, she and her colleagues picked up data from the Reasons for Social Differences on Stroke study, which seeks to understand why more African Americans die of stroke than other races and why Southeast residents are experiencing more other parts of the United States.

Drawing from this multiethnic study, Welsh and his co-authorsanalyzed data from 13,440 adults 45 years and older, nearly 60% male and nearly 71% of them overweight or obese.

People who consumed 10% or more of their daily calories in the form of sugary drinks were 44% more likely to die from coronary artery disease and 14% more likely to die prematurely of any cause compared with people who consume less than 5% of calories. the study showed that their daily calories were sugary drinks.

Each additional 12 ounces of fruit juice per day was associated with a 24% higher risk of death, and each additional 12 ounces of sugary drinks per day was associated with a higher risk of 11%. A similar relationship between sugary drinks and death due to coronary heart disease has not been found.

"When we look at our results for independently sweetened sweetened drinks and juices, we need to be clear that the risk presented is relative to the risk present in the weakest consumers of each," said Welsh.

She was not surprised by the results. She and her co-authors stated that "a number of possible biological mechanisms" explain the high risk of death. For example, research suggests that sugary drinks increase insulin resistance, known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, while fructose consumption may stimulate hormones that promote weight gain around the waist – another risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

This is one of the first studies to examine the link between sugary drinks, including 100% fruit juices, and premature death, wrote Marta Guasch-Ferré, a researcher at the Department of Nutrition's Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Dr. Frank B. Hu, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, in an editorial published alongside the new study.

However, the study is limited by what it can tell us, noted Guasch-Ferré and Hu, who did not participate in the research. Since there are so few deaths related to coronary heart disease, the analysis is considered low; more time and more participants would probably give a stronger signal in both directions. In addition, the consumption of sugary drinks of each participant was recorded at the beginning of the study only, based entirely on the self-declaration, which is not considered reliable.

"Although fruit juices are not as harmful as sugared beverages, their consumption should be moderate in children and adults, especially among people wishing to control their weight," wrote Guasch-Ferré and Hu.

Recommendations for children ages 1 to 6 are to limit fruit juice consumption to 6 ounces per day, while children 7 years and older, teens and adults should limit fruit juice to 8 ounces per day, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and dietary recommendations for Americans.

"More research is needed to examine the health risks and potential benefits of specific fruit juices," Guasch-Ferré and HuI said.

Welsh said we need to take into account both fruit juices and sugary drinks when we think about the amount of sugar we consume each day. Between the two, she tipped the scales in favor of the fruit juice: "Given its vitamin and mineral content, fruit juice in small amounts can have a beneficial effect that we do not see with sodas and other sugary drinks. "

The-CNN-Wire ™ and © 2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

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