Do Sugary Drinks Lead to a Shorter Life?

Lay off the Sugar

Yes, sugar is yummy, but let's face the facts. People who regularly consume sodas, sports drinks, and other sugary beverages may be more likely to suffer a premature death, a new study has found. 

The research study involved almost 120,000 Americans and found that adults who drank two or more sugary drinks a day—defined as a standard glass, bottle, or can—were 21 percent more like to die prematurely than those who drank less than one a month. The risk for women increased by 25 percent, and for men, it went up by 12 percent. The main cause of early death in these cases was cardiovascular disease, followed by colon and breast cancer.

Nicholas Bakalar wrote an article for the New York Times, Sugary Drinks Tied to Shorter Life Span which cites a study that appeared in the journal Circulation.  Another interesting article from the Cleveland Clinic is Can Too Many Soft Drinks Shorten Your Life?

Another related topic is the soda tax which is discussed in the 2019 The Agenda article Is Big Soda Winning the Soft Drink Wars?  And how about comparing the amount of sugar in soda in the U.S. versus other parts of the world - Soda Has a Lot Less Sugar If You're Not in the United States.

Watching your sugar intake is critical as we are gracefully greying, no matter which side of the grocery aisle you are on.  We'd love to hear from you about this topic - share your story and viewpoint.