“We were struck by the fact that whether it was diet or regular soda that participants consumed, the association with increased risk was present,” says Ramachandran Vasan, a professor of medicine at BU’s School of Medicine and the study’s lead investigator and senior author.

Vasan says that study participants who drank soda on a daily basis exhibited an increased risk for developing metabolic syndrome. The syndrome, which doubles a person’s risk of heart disease, is a grouping of cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk factors. These factors include excess waist circumference, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low levels of HDL (good cholesterol), and high blood-sugar levels even on an empty stomach. According to the American Heart Association, more than 50 million Americans have metabolic syndrome. *

I have to be honest: I think diet soda is disgusting. Regular soda is bad enough, but at least it has real sugar in it instead of being 100% faketastic, you know? I do drink about a fridge pack (12 cans) of Pepsi every 2 months or so, but other than that, I’m not big on soda. And now, after these results, I may very well be cutting down.

Are you a soda drinker? Will this information change your soda consumption?

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Post from: Blisstree

Don’t Kid Yourself: Diet Soda Ain’t Healthy!