New Study Links Sugary Beverages With Increased Risk of Early Death
Drinking sugary drinks increases your chances of dying - especially from heart disease, according to a long-term study of men and women in the US.
The recent finding from Harvard researchers was published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.
The study, led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, covered nearly 120,000 people over a period of decades and a list of their lifestyle habits, including how frequently they drank sugary beverages such as sodas and other sugary drinks - including sports drinks with sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup or sucrose.
"Our results provide further support to limit intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB's) and to replace them with other beverages, preferably water, to improve overall health and longevity," said Vasanti Malik, a research scientist in the Department of Nutrition and lead author of the study.
The study is the latest finding to suggest that sugary drinks can lead to weight gain and potentially serious diseases, including some cancers.
"The big picture is really starting to emerge," said Malik, a research associate at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health told CNBC. "This is not random. There's a whole lot of consistency across these findings."
The researchers also found diet versions of sugary drinks could moderately reduce a person's risk of death, but they still recommend people drink water instead.
Read the Circulation's article -- Long-Term Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Risk of Mortality in US Adults.
In a statement regarding the study, the American Beverage Association (ABA) said that it considers soft drinks "safe to consume as part of a balanced diet," and that the sugar used in the beverages is the same as sugar used in other food products.
"We don't think anyone should overconsume sugar, that's why we're working to reduce the sugar people consume from beverages across the country," the statement said.
