Drinking sugary soft drinks twice a week increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, even if you exercise

Sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, sodas, and fruit cocktails, are the largest source of added sugar in the American diet and have been associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease . On the other hand, it is also said that getting enough exercise can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. A research team at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has announced the results of a cohort study using data from approximately 300,000 people on the risk of cardiovascular disease posed by sugar-sweetened beverages.

Sugar-sweetened or artificially-sweetened beverage consumption, physical activity, and risk of cardiovascular disease in adults: a prospective cohort study - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002916524000017

Study: Physical activity can't counter cardiovascular risk associated with sugar-sweetened beverage consumption
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-physical-counter-cardiovascular-sugar-sweetened.html

Sugar is an extremely important energy source for humans, but excessive intake is said to increase the risk of diabetes, fatty liver, and cardiovascular disease.

Claim that excessive intake of sugar is definitely undermining the health of modern people - GIGAZINE

Professor Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier, from Laval University's Faculty of Pharmacy, said: ``The marketing strategy for these sugar-sweetened drinks often depicts active people drinking them. 'We have shown the image that there are no negative effects. Our research aims to verify whether this image is correct.'

Researchers led by Professor Drouin-Chartier examined two cohorts that followed approximately 100,000 adults over approximately 30 years. The researchers found that people who consumed sugar-sweetened beverages at least twice a week were at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, regardless of their level of physical activity.

The researchers noted that although the frequency of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption considered in the study was relatively low (twice a week), it was still significantly associated with cardiovascular disease risk. Of course, if you take it every day, the risk is even higher.

Although 150 minutes of exercise per week is generally recommended to prevent cardiovascular disease, the researchers found that even 150 minutes of exercise per week could not offset the negative effects of consuming sugar-sweetened drinks twice a week. thing.

On the other hand, drinking drinks with artificial sweeteners was not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Professor Drouin-Chartier commented: ``Replacing sugar-sweetened drinks with artificially sweetened diet drinks is good because it reduces the amount of sugar you consume, but the best drink to drink is water.''

Lorena Pacheco, a researcher at the Harvard T.H. 'We support the public health recommendations and policies that support this.'

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