Sugary Drinks Linked to 180,000 Global Deaths, Report Finds

The next time you reach for something sweet to drink at the gym, you might want to check the listed ingredients for sugar.

That’s because new research shows sugar-sweetened sodas, sports drinks and fruit drinks may be associated with 180,000 deaths annually worldwide. The research was presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2013 Scientific Sessions.

Although health and medical professionals have been warning us that sugar-sweetened beverages contribute to excess body weight – which then raises a person’s risk for diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers – no one really knew how many deaths were linked.

Until now.

Using data from the 2010 Global Burden of Diseases Study, researchers have been able to connect sugary drinks to:

• 133,000 diabetes deaths
• 44,000 deaths from cardiovascular diseases
• 6,000 cancer deaths

Nationally, the deaths of roughly 25,000 people in 2010 were linked to drinking sugar-sweetened beverages.

So, how many sugary drinks is it OK to drink in a week? Can we even have them at all?

Officials at the American Heart Association recommend drinking no more than 450 calories per week from sugar-sweetened beverages. But that’s based on a 2,000 calorie diet, which may not fit your weight-loss goals.

And when it comes to your health, it’s always a good idea to ask your doctor for advice.

Source: American Heart Association

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