http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/headline_health/colas_soft_drinks/2012/02/06/432182.html
From the article:
A new study found that a single can of diet soda a day increases the risk of heart disease by 43 percent and can cause liver damage similar to that seen in alcoholics.
The latest research, conducted the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Columbia University Medical Center, is only the latest in a long string of studies showing that carbonated soft drinks � both sugar-sweetened and sugar-free � are ruining our health.
Health problems linked to soft drinks include:
� Obesity. Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center found that every can or bottle of soft drink a person drinks each day increases their risk of being overweight by 41 percent. Children are at special risk: A British study found that if fructose is present in a child's body, it will cause more cells to mature into belly fat cells when the child's fat cells mature.
High-fructose corn syrup seems to be more at fault for weight gain than regular sugar: Researchers at Princeton University found that rats who were fed high-fructose corn syrup gained 47 percent more weight than rats who were fed an equal number of calories, but without corn syrup. And switching from sugar-sweetened to diet soft drinks doesn't provide protection from weight gain, either. The researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center found that people who drink diet soft drinks don't lose weight; they gain. Their risk of obesity was even higher than those who drank sugary sodas.
� Diabetes. Women who drink one sugary soda a day double their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes when compare with women who drank less than one a month, suggests a study from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. ...
� Pancreatic cancer: Drinking two or more soft drinks a week almost doubles the risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to people who do not drink them.
� Premature aging. The phosphates in colas and other soft drinks that give them their tangy bite can cause premature aging, according to researchers at Harvard University who found that sodas upset the balance of phosphate in the body and accelerate aging by causing skin and muscles to shrivel. They also damage the heart and kidneys. ...
� Osteoporosis. Phosphoric acid, which give drinks their "bite," leaches calcium from bones, and diet sodas are just as much at fault as those sweetened with sugar. ...
� Dental problems. In addition to the increased risk of cavities by the sugar in soft drinks, phosphoric acid � present in all "fizzy" drinks � causes tooth enamel to erode by changing the pH of saliva, leaving yellow teeth that are more prone to decay. ...
� Fertility. Danish researchers found that men who were heavy cola drinkers � a quart or more a day � lowered their sperm counts by 30 percent when compared to those men who didn't drink cola. And a study funded by the European Union found that just one diet cola a day increased the risk of miscarriage by 38 percent. Moms who drank four or more colas a day raised their risk by up to 78 percent.
� Esophageal cancer.
� Kidney stones.
� GI problems. Studies have shown that people who drink sodas suffer more from gastroesophageal reflux disease than those people who didn't drink sodas.
� Cholesterol.
� Gout.
� High blood pressure.
� Brain disorders. More than 92 side effects are associated with aspartame, a sugar substitute used in diet sodas. They include brain tumors, emotional disorders, and epileptic seizures. In addition, sodium benzoate has the ability to switch off vital parts of a person's DNA, according to research from a British university. The result could eventually cause cirrhosis of the liver and other degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's.
� Liver damage. An Israeli study found that people who drink more than four cups of sweetened beverages a day increase their odds of developing fatty liver disease by 500 percent.
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From the article:
Men who drink sugar-sweetened beverages, including sodas and non-carbonated fruit drinks, may have a higher risk of heart attack, a new study shows.
Harvard researchers found that men who drank one sugar-sweetened beverage per day had a 20 percent increased risk of heart attack compared to those who eschewed the sugary drinks, according to the study published in the journal Circulation.
And the risk rose with increasing consumption: Two sugary drinks a day was linked to a 42 percent increase in risk, while three was associated with a 69 percent increase.