Sugar drinks may be associated with an increased risk of death | Medicine, nutrition

Frequent consumption of sugary drinks (non-carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks and sports drinks) was associated with an increased risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease and, to a lesser extent, from cancer, according to a new report. study. The substitution of one sweet drink per day with an artificially sweetened beverage was associated with a slightly lower mortality risk, but the consumption of four artificially or more artificially sweetened drinks per day was associated with a higher mortality risk in women .

"Drinking water instead of sugary drinks is a healthy choice that could contribute to longevity," said Dr. Vasanti Malik, lead author of the study, a researcher at the Harvard TH Nutrition Department. Chan School of Public Health.

"Diet sodas can be used to help heavy drinkers reduce their consumption, but water is the best and healthiest choice."

In this study, Dr. Malik and her colleagues analyzed data from 80,647 women participating in the Nursing Health Study (1980-2014) and 37,716 men from the Health Professional Follow-up Study. (1986-2014).

For both studies, participants responded to questionnaires on lifestyle factors and health status every two years.

After adjusting for important dietary and lifestyle factors, the researchers found that the more people drank sweetened beverages, the more likely they were to die prematurely from any cause.

Compared with the consumption of sugary drinks less than once a month, consumption of one to four sugary drinks per month was associated with an increased risk of 1%. two to six a week with a 6% increase; one to two per day with an increase of 14%; and two or more per day with an increase of 21%.

The increase in the risk of premature death related to the consumption of sugary drinks was more pronounced in women than in men.

There was a particularly strong link between the consumption of sugary drinks and the increased risk of premature death from cardiovascular diseases.

Compared to infrequent drinkers of sugary drinks, those who drank at least two servings a day of sugary drinks had a 31% higher risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease.

Each additional portion of sugary drinks per day was associated with a 10% increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

For both men and women, there was a modest relationship between the consumption of sugary drinks and the risk of premature death from cancer.

The team also examined the link between the consumption of artificially sweetened beverages and the risk of premature death.

The authors found that replacing sweetened beverages with sweetened beverages was associated with a moderately lower risk of premature death.

But they also found a link between high consumption of artificially sweetened beverages (at least four servings / day) and a slightly increased risk of overall mortality and cardiovascular disease in women. They therefore cautioned against excessive consumption of artificially sweetened beverages.

"These findings are consistent with the known adverse effects of high sugar consumption on metabolic risk factors and with strong evidence that sugar beverage consumption increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, itself a contributing factor." of major risk of premature death, "said the study. author, Professor Walter Willett, also of Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.

"The results also provide additional support for policies aimed at limiting the marketing of sweetened beverages to children and adolescents and the introduction of soft drink taxes, as the current price of soft drinks does not include the high costs of dealing with their consequences. "

The study was published online this month in the journal circulation.

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Vasanti S. Malik et al. 2019. Long-term consumption of artificially sweetened and sweetened beverages and risk of death among US adults. circulation 139; doi: 10.1161 / CIRCULATIONAHA.118.037401