Sugary drinks linked to increased risk of death: study
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- You may think twice before reaching for a can of soda or a lemonade after a new study looked at the link between sugar-sweetened drinks and increased risk of death for people with a common health condition.
New findings show that drinking large amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages, like soda and fruit drinks, is linked with a higher risk of death and cardiovascular disease for people with diabetes.
It's just another reason to make healthier choices when it comes to what you drink daily.
Researchers at Harvard looked at nearly 20 years of data on nearly 13,000 men and women. They found the risk of dying prematurely was lower for diabetics who drank beverages like coffee, tea, low-fat milk and water.
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In fact, replacing one daily serving of a sugary drink with a healthier beverage was associated with almost a 20% lower risk of death.
The research also found drinking artificially sweetened beverages had healthier outcomes but not as much benefit as choosing drinks that are not sweetened.
Previous research shows, for people in general, drinking sugar-sweetened beverages can lead to weight gain, obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Doctors said switching to healthier beverages could have lifelong benefits.