Now there may be even more reasons to quit the soft drink habit. (See "Is Drinking Soda Bad for Your Bones?")
Pancreatic cancer and liver disease.
A recently published study found a significant increase in risk for pancreatic cancer among people who drank two or more servings of sugar-sweetened soft drinks per week. Fruit juice did not have the same effect. The study included 60,524 residents of Singapore who were followed for 14 years.
A much smaller Israeli study indicates a connection between drinking sweetened soft drinks (as well as fruit juice) and fatty-liver disease. 80% of the study participants diagnosed with liver damage had been drinking more than two cups of sweetened beverages a day.
Switching to artificially sweetened soda is not necessarily the solution. That according to the lead author of the Israeli study, Dr. Nimer Assy. He thinks that aspartame and caramel coloring (often added to cola) can increase insulin resistance, which may induce fatty-liver disease.
Is there a way to get people to drink fewer soft drinks?
A new US study sheds light on the connection between cost and consumption of soft drinks. With every 10% increase in cost of a two liter (four pint) bottle of soda, people consumed 7% fewer calories from soda and had a lower risk for pre-diabetes.
That's a pretty clear message – increase the price of soda and consumption drops. I'm in favor!
I'm firmly of the belief that soda is bad for you. Here's something that has worked for me. Syfo Beverages makes seltzer and naturally-flavored sparkling waters that are free of sugar or artificial sweeteners, so they're a perfect alternative to sugary soft drinks. They also have no sodium or preservatives, are made with purified water and they're kosher too! You can find Syfo in the Southeast where I'm from, but I think you can also order online at www.syfobeverages.com.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great idea. I checked Syfo's website - their product seems to be available only in Florida and the southeast US. I seem to remember other brands in the US that were similar - flavored but unsweetened carbonated water. Here in Israel I haven't seen a product like this, but I'll keep my eyes open.
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