Soft drinks linked to a higher risk of premature death

Whether it's soda, soft drink or soft drink, the results of a new study suggest that it would be best for your health to drink water at the place.

The large European study found that people who drank more than two sodas a day – with or without sugar – were more likely to die in about 16 years than those who drank a soft drink less than once a month.

"We found that higher consumption of soft drinks was associated with a higher risk of death regardless of the cause, whether or not you drank sweetened or sweetened beverages," said lead author from the study, Neil Murphy. He is a scientist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France.

"Our findings regarding sweetened soft drinks provide additional support for limiting consumption and replacing it with healthier beverages, preferably water," Murphy said.

How can soda increase your risk of dying?
Sugary drinks can lead to weight gain and obesity. They can also affect how the hormone insulin is used in the body, which can cause inflammation, Murphy noted. All of these things can lead to health problems that can shorten life.

He said more research is needed to understand how artificially sweetened soda could increase the risk of premature death.
Although she has established an association, this study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between soda ash and a higher risk of premature death. It is possible that soda drinkers have other habits that could increase their chances, such as smoking or having a less healthy diet.
This study is not the first to establish a connection between soft drinks and poor health outcomes. Two recent studies – one on BMJ and the other on circulation – have been associated with consumption of baking soda, cancer and deaths from heart disease.

Current research includes more than 451,000 people from 10 European countries. Their average age was 51 years old. Researchers followed participants' health for an average of 16 years.

In addition to the higher risk of all-cause death among those who drink more than two soft drinks a day, more soft drinks are also linked to some specific causes of death.

• People who drank more than one soda a day – sweetened or artificially – compared to less than a soda a month were more likely to die of colon cancer and Parkinson's disease.
• People who drank more than one soda a day compared to less than one a month were more likely to die from digestive diseases.
• People who drank more soda artificially sweetened daily than less than once a month were more likely to die from circulatory diseases, such as heart disease.

According to Murphy, the researchers tried to take into account factors such as body mass index (an estimate of fat mass based on height and weight) and smoking, and nevertheless found an association between the increased consumption of baking soda and a higher risk of death.

Representatives of the beverage and sweetener industries urged people not to overreact to the findings.
Calorie-free and calorie-free sweeteners are "an important tool for weight management and for those who manage diabetes," said Robert Rankin, chair of the Calorie Control Council.

Council Medical Advisor Dr. Keri Peterson added, "The safety of low calorie and calorie-free sweeteners has been repeatedly affirmed by leading government and regulatory agencies around the world."

William Dermody Jr., a spokesperson for the American Beverage Association, expressed a similar view. "Soft drinks can be safely consumed as part of a balanced diet and the authors of this study acknowledge that their research does not indicate otherwise."

Dr. Maria Anton, Endocrinologist at Northwell Health's Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital, said the excessive consumption of soft drinks and other high-sugar, artificially sweetened beverages had become the norm for many people.
"These can contribute to weight gain and poor glycemic control, aggravating existing diseases such as diabetes," she said.

Anton added that the findings suggest that sugar is probably not the only unhealthy ingredient in non-alcoholic beverages. "The patients in this study who regularly drank sugar-sweetened drinks artificially were also at increased risk of death," she said.

Professional dietitian Samantha Heller of NYU Langone Health in New York said that many factors could contribute to the link between soda consumption and the risk of death. The essential, she says, is that people do not need to drink soda.
"The consumption of sweet-tasting beverages is fueled by marketing and advertising – there is really no need to consume them," said Heller, suggesting instead water, seltzer salt or tea.

The study was published Sept. 3 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

More information

Learn about the soft drinks of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

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