When you’re out in the heat of summer what better to refresh your senses, fight that sweet craving, and help stay slim than a diet soda? The same taste as regular soda, but with fewer calories, less sugar, or in other words a healthier option - or is it?

The Framingham Heart Study conducted to examine the potential link between soda consumption and metabolic syndrome, found some unsettling results. Metabolic syndrome a.k.a. syndrome X is the presence of three plus of the following; high fasting blood sugar levels, excessive waist circumference, high blood pressure, elevated triglyceride levels (blood fats) and low levels of the artery-protecting HDL cholesterol.

After four years participants who drank more than one can of soda a day - diet or regular - were 44 percent more likely to develop this syndrome, even when other health factors such as smoking and total calorie intake were considered.

Currently, Dr. Vasan (senior study author and professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine) said there is no direct link between drinking soda and cardiac risk, but there is definitely an association.Possible explanations include that the types of people who drink high-sugar beverages also eat sweet and fatty foods, or that the caramel content of soda leads to insulin resistance. Both result in a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, and overall worse health.

 So next time you reach for a can of diet something, think twice about how it could really affect your health, not just your waistline.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 20th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Filed under All Entries, Babies / Kids / Teens, Health / Fitness.
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