Sodas - diet or not - linked to heart disease

[rado]

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...290179/1/.html

CHICAGO : Diet soft drinks are lower in calories, but are still associated with a greater risk of heart disease as are sugar-laden sodas, according to a new study.

US researchers tracked for four years the health of more than 6,000 middle-aged adults and found those who drank one or more soft drinks daily had an increased risk for metabolic syndrome when compared to individuals who drank fewer of the fizzy beverages.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors for heart disease and diabetes such as high blood pressure, excessive fat around the waist and low levels of "good" cholesterol.

What surprised researchers was that diet drinkers were no better off than drinkers of sugary sodas.

"We were struck by the fact that it didn't matter whether it was a diet or a regular soda that participants consumed," said Boston University School of Medicine professor Ramachandran Vasan in the study published in the journal Circulation.

By the end of four years, the consumers of soft drinks had a 31 percent greater risk of becoming obese, a 30 percent greater risk of increased weight circumference and a 32 percent greater risk of having low levels of HDL or, so-called good cholesterol.

They also had a 25 percent higher risk of having high blood triglycerides or high blood glucose.

About half of the participants kept detailed food questionnaires which showed which sodas they drank, regular or diet. Researchers were surprised to find that the sugar content of the drinks made no difference to the health outcomes.

Adults who drank one or more sodas a day had a 50 to 60 percent greater chance of having developed metabolic syndrome - despite drinking diet or regular sodas.

Researchers say it is not clear why diet sodas raise a person's risk for metabolic syndrome.

"It may be that soft drinks condition a person's palate, making them more likely to eat sweet, calorie-rich foods," said Ravi Dhingra, lead author of the paper and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Alternatively, some experimental studies show that the caramel content in soft drinks may promote development of complex sugars that can result in insulin resistance and diabetes.

"These are all theories and experts debate their importance," said Dhingra. "Our study was observational and so right now all we demonstrate is an association. We have not proven causality." - AFP/de

[dreamgirl]

I read this, it's really interesting. I've always heard that any artificial sweetener makes your body think it's getting sugar, then when it doesn't it makes you crave more sweets and fatty foods. Essentially why someone who drinks a lot of diet pop would be heavier.

[rado]

Originally Posted by dreamgirl

I read this, it's really interesting. I've always heard that any artificial sweetener makes your body think it's getting sugar, then when it doesn't it makes you crave more sweets and fatty foods. Essentially why someone who drinks a lot of diet pop would be heavier.

Anytime you eat sugars or sweets, it give you more of an appetite...Ever notice when you eat sweets within an hour or two, you get hungry?

[fog_hat1981]

Originally Posted by rado

"These are all theories and experts debate their importance," said Dhingra. "Our study was observational and so right now all we demonstrate is an association. We have not proven causality." - AFP/de

:laughnew:

[Scrumhalf]

This study has been poorly reported in the media, and the researchers also share some blame for not being very clear. Mr. Dhingra's point is very important - causality is not proven.

The way the news reports have been written, it sounds like people who consume soda are more likely to be obese. There is no evidence of such causality if you read the report carefully. What I think is really happening is that anyone who drinks a lot of soda, diet or otherwise, probably has other poor eating habits - too much fast food, etc. which are the real causal agents.

[THE BOUNCER]

Originally Posted by Scrumhalf

What I think is really happening is that anyone who drinks a lot of soda, diet or otherwise, probably has other poor eating habits - too much fast food, etc. which are the real causal agents.

exactly. the study is not backed by any kind of science. it is worthless.

bottom line, i don't drink any kind of soda diet or otherwise, but here is a simple fact. regular soda will cause an insulin response. diet soda will not. that is the only fact you need to know when talking about soda making you fat. nothing else. this study has so many variables that it has rendered itself useless.

[Alin]

i know i removed reg soda from my diet and had instant weight loss.

[THE BOUNCER]

Originally Posted by Alin

i know i removed reg soda from my diet and had instant weight loss.

well that is because regular soda has calories. it is the calories that you removed that caused weight loss. nothing to do with the actual soda.