It’s no surprise that sodas are not considered a healthy beverage. With lots sugar (or artificial chemicals), soda can cause weight gain, tooth decay, and numerous other issues. If these health risks were not enough to make you put down the bubbly beverage, the latest study from “Journal of the American Medical Association” will. Researchers found that drinking just two sodas a day can be linked to a higher chance of death. Yes, DEATH.
A Substantial Study On Sodas
This was not some small study with only a few participants. 451,743 healthy individuals from different European countries participated in the study, all of whom gave information over the course of almost a decade, from 1992-2000. The participants were asked to report their consumption of soda, and researchers paired that information with the mortality rates from 11 to 19 years after.
Conclusive Evidence
For all those who regularly consume soda, the unsettling news might shock you. Researchers found those who consumed two sugary drinks or more a day had much higher mortality rates than those who only drank one soda a month. Additionally, the heavy soda drinkers were on average 2 years younger than their fellow one-a-month participants, giving rise to the clear correlation between soda and fatal health risks.
Different Causes Of Death For Diet Vs. Regular Soda
One of the most interesting findings from the study was that the cause of early death for diet soda drinkers was different from the early mortality of regular soda. Those who drank diet sodas with artificial sweeteners typically died of diseases related to the circulatory system. Regular soda drinkers more often died from diseases linked to the liver and intestines.
While more information and research is needed on the effects of artificial sweeteners, it is safe to say you are much better off skipping the soda at your next meal.
Photos: Freepik, Unsplash
