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Sugary drink tax of 20%
'could reduce obesity'
One Soda A Day Can
Increase Diabetes Risk By
22%
Sugary drinks raise risk of heart
attack, heart disease by more than a
third
alf the American population consume sugar-
sweetened drinks every day , despite
compelling evidence that they lead to excess weight
gain and an increased risk of disease, according to
research published in the Journal of the American
College of Cardiology .
Sugary drinks increase the risk of diabetes, heart
disease and stroke, according to the researchers.
The beverages, containing added sugars in the form
of high-fructose corn syrup or table sugar
(sucrose), are the focus of a comprehensive new
study, which also looks at the unique way in which
fructose may contribute to these conditions.
The study states that there is an "urgent need for
public health strategies that reduce the consumption
of these drinks."
It is already well documented that consuming one
or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day can
cause weight gain and obesity . This is partly
because liquid calories are not filling, which means
that people drink them alongside their usual food
intake.
Sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrup,
produced from corn starch, are widely used in the
US as a cheaper alternative to sucrose in foods and
beverages. While consumption of sugar-sweetened
beverages has decreased slightly in the last 10
years, they remain the single greatest source of
added sugar intake in the US diet.
For 1 in 4 Americans, soft drinks provide least 200
calories a day; 5% of the population consume more
than 500 calories a day in this way - the equivalent
of four cans of soda.
Proven risk of disease
Researchers, led by Dr. Frank Hu, PhD, professor of
nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan
School of Public Health in Boston, MA, reviewed
data from recent epidemiological studies and meta-
analyses of these studies.
Fast facts about calories in drinks
• A 12 oz cola contains 136 calories
• A 12 oz sweetened lemon ice tea
contains 135 calories
• A 12 oz unsweetened carbonated water
contains 0 calories.
Learn more about how much sugar is in your food
They found that consuming one or two servings a
day:
increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by
26%
heightens the risk of heart attack or fatal heart
disease by 35%
raises the risk of stroke by 16%.
They also explored how fructose is metabolized in
the body and its link to weight gain and the
development of metabolic and cardiovascular
conditions.
Unlike glucose, which is directly absorbed into the
bloodstream through the gastrointestinal tract to
provide fuel, fructose is metabolized in the liver.
There, it can be converted to fatty compounds
called triglycerides, which may lead to fatty liver
disease and insulin resistance - a key risk factor
for developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Fructose can also cause an increase in uric acid in
the blood, leading to gout , a painful inflammatory
arthritis.
The researchers point out that since fructose and
glucose typically travel together in sugar-
sweetened beverages and foods, it is important to
reduce total amounts of added sugars, especially in
the form of sugar-sweetened beverages.
Dr. Hu and his team conclude that:
As substitutes, they suggest water, coffee or tea.
They urge caution regarding artificially sweetened
drinks, since the long-term effects of these are not
yet known.
They also call for more aggressive public policy
interventions to help reduce consumption of sugar-
sweetened beverages, pointing out that the World
Health Organization (WHO) and the 2015 US Dietary
Guidelines Advisory Committee recommend that
added sugars comprise no more than 10% of total
calories consumed.
Dr. Hu hopes that changes to nutritional labeling,
which are expected to clearly define the amount of
added sugar in a product and the percent daily
value for added sugar, will help to educate
consumers and ultimately reduce the daily intake of
these and other products packed with sugar.
