Soda: Probably Not Healthy

A new study has revealed several juicy (no pun intended) tidbits about soda and you, and it turns out that there is evidence that suggests soda can be unhealthy. Though some soda-supporters are making a sensical argument that the scientific study merely prompts the question “is it the soda or the soda drinker?” (i.e., soda consumption is just one of many bad habits of unhealthy people), the wide ranging research project that studied about 3,500 men and women revealed the following tidbits, among others:

• “Frequent diet soda drinkers might save calories, but they face the same higher risk of heart disease and diabetes as people who drink sugary soft drinks every day”

• “[The study] found an association between daily soft drink consumption and an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome … people with metabolic syndrome have a combination of risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, such as high blood pressure and elevated triglycerides.”

• “’In this group of middle-aged adults, consumption of just one or more soft drinks per day seemed to increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome by about 50 percent,’ whether the drink was artificially sweetened or not, [senior author of the Framingham Heart Study Doctor] Vasan said.”

• “When compared to those who drank fewer than one soft drink daily, participants who drank one or more a day had about a 30 percent greater risk of developing new-onset diabetes, being overweight and having low levels of good cholesterol.”

We guess it’s true what they say about soda: you do it just for the taste of it. At least we now know why polar bears are well on their way to extinction. Feel free to add your own bad jokes in the comments section.

Diet Soda No Safer [SFGate]

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Soda: Probably Not Healthy