Sugary drinks are delicious; we all know that. Its sweet and fresh taste makes people like them. However, many studies have shown that they have negative effects for your body. The risk of various diseases, from diabetes to heart disease, can increase if you frequently consume them. The high sugar contentin them is the main cause.

For those of you who like to drink sugary drinks every day, be careful! They can increase the risk of heart-related diseases by more than 42%, especially in women. According to the results of a study conducted by the University of California San Diego, researchers found that sugary drinks, including soft drinks, packaged drinks, and sweetened fruit juice can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in women if consumed every day. The results of the study have been published in the American Heart Association journal.

In his study, researchers involved 106,178 female participants with an average age of 52 years. At the beginning of the study, all participants were known to have no previous history of heart, stroke or diabetes-related illnesses. To find out their drinking habits, each participant was asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding their diet. In addition, researchers also collected data on the health history of each participant. After a follow-up period of more than 20 years, there were 8,848 documented cases of cardiovascular disease.

The researchers found that those who consume one bottle or more sugary drinks a day are associated with a 21% higher risk of stroke compared to those who rarely or have never consumed sugary drinks. Sweetened fruit juice can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 42%, while soft drinks like soda can increase the risk by up to 23%.

Researchers explained that the sugar contained in these drinks could increase glucose levels and insulin concentration, which can increase appetite and lead to obesity, one of the main factors of cardiovascular disease. In addition, increased blood sugar is also associated with oxidative stress and inflammation, insulin resistance, bad cholesterol, to type 2 diabetes. These conditions can be a factor in the development of atherosclerosis, narrowing of the arteries that may start cardiovascular disease.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Google Search Images

Source(s):

• Pocheco, L.S., Lacey, J.V., Martinez, M.E., et al (2020). Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in the California Teachers Study. American Heart Association, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.119.014883.
• Science Daily - Drinking sugary drinks may be linked to higher risk of CVD in women (2020). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200513081556.htm, 19 May 2020.