People who like to drink soda and sugary drinks have their skin tense. Recently, more and more new studies point out that if you value your health, you may have to slowly learn to say goodbye to these favorite drinks.
A new 19-year study of more than 450,000 people in 10 European countries found that people who drank more than two cups of any kind of soda a day had a higher risk of death from any cause than those who drank less than one cup a month.
The participants in the study had no prior history of cancer, diabetes, heart disease or stroke.
The study was published in the journal JAMAS Internal Medicine. The study found that people of both sexes who drank more than two sugary drinks a day had a higher risk of dying from digestive diseases, including liver, appendix, pancreatic line, and intestinal diseases. People who drank the same amount of “sugar-free beverages” (drinks that use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, such as zero-calorie) every day had a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist, assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine, noted that the digestive disease issues in the study are interesting.
According to Bergquist, experimental evidence suggests that high blood sugar and sugar intake may disrupt the intestinal barrier, causing leaky gut syndrome, which can lead to inflammation of the gut, alter the gut microbiome, increase the likelihood of infection and lead to susceptibility to digestive disease.
This study showed that soft drinks were associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, but not with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease or cancer.
Soft drinks were defined in this study as “sugar-free sodas that are low in calories or use artificial sugar substitutes,” such as Coke, or sweetened juice drinks with concentrated syrups.
The serving size of one drink in this study was 250 ml.
What can people who like to drink a lot of drinks a day do if they find it hard to quit? Nutritionist Lisa Drayer suggests cutting back to one drink a day, gradually reducing to one drink a day, then one drink a day for two days, with the ultimate goal of not drinking soft drinks at all.
If you really want to drink carbonated beverages too much, she also suggests replacing them with sparkling water or soda.
Rahaf Al Bochi, a nutritionist at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says the recommended amount of juice for a day is usually 118 milliliters.
Experts warn that people who like to drink carbonated beverages are better off drinking them with food than drinking them alone, as they can erode dental enamel.
It is suggested that sugar lovers can replace sugar-sweetened beverages with naturally sweet foods, such as fruits and dates, which are not only rich in vitamins, minerals, but also phytonutrients, which are better for the body.
For those who are interested in the challenge of reducing sugar, Berquist recommends implementing a sugar-free challenge for at least two weeks at a time because “our taste buds change every two weeks, which means that as long as you survive the first two weeks, your taste buds will be more satisfied with foods that contain natural sugar.”
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