New Research Suggests Strong Link Between Sweetened Caloric Beverages and Metaboli...(ationship between sweetened caloric beve...),Health

Research Highlights

• Recent data from the Nurses' Health Study found that regular soft drink consumption was associated with an almost 49% increase in the risk of coronary heart disease in women, even after adjusting for body mass index (BMI) [Fung TT. Am J Clin Nutr 2009].
• Data from the Framingham and Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) suggests a strong association between soft drink consumption and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. For example, a recent study found that middle-aged adults who consumed at least one soft drink per day had a 44% higher adjusted risk of developing metabolic syndrome compared with those who consumed soft drinks infrequently [Dhingra R et al. Circulation 2007].
• Eight-year data from the Nurses' Health Study II found an increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with a significant increased risk of diabetes, regardless of whether the data controlled for BMI [Schulze MB et al. JAMA 2004].

Ed Horton, MD, Harvard Medical School will introduce the workshop, which is hosted by the International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk (ICCR). Dr. Jean-Pierre Despres, Universite Laval, Quebec, Canada, Scientific Director of the ICCR, will summarize the discussion and its key conclusions.

"The way we eat and its relationship with chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease has received a lot of attention both from the scientific community and the lay press. However, from the emerging evidence on the issue, we also need to pay attention to our drinking habits," said Jean-Pierre Despres. "Educating peo
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