Half the American population consume sugar-sweetened drinks every day, despite compelling evidence that they lead to excess weight gain and an increased risk of disease, according to research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The beverages, containing added sugars in the form of high-fructose corn syrup or table sugar (sucrose), are the focus of a comprehensive new study, which also looks at the unique way in which fructose may contribute to these conditions.

The study states that there is an “urgent need for public health strategies that reduce the consumption of these drinks.”

It is already well documented that consuming one or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day can cause weight gain and obesity. This is partly because liquid calories are not filling, which means that people drink them alongside their usual food intake.

Sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrup, produced from corn starch, are widely used in the US as a cheaper alternative to sucrose in foods and beverages. While consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has decreased slightly in the last 10 years, they remain the single greatest source of added sugar intake in the US diet.

For 1 in 4 Americans, soft drinks provide least 200 calories a day; 5% of the population consume more than 500 calories a day in this way – the equivalent of four cans of soda.

Proven risk of disease
Researchers, led by Dr. Frank Hu, PhD, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, MA, reviewed data from recent epidemiological studies and meta-analyses of these studies.

They found that consuming one or two servings a day:

increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 26%
heightens the risk of heart attack or fatal heart disease by 35%
raises the risk of stroke by 16%.
They also explored how fructose is metabolized in the body and its link to weight gain and the development of metabolic and cardiovascular conditions.
The beverages, containing added sugars in the form of high-fructose corn syrup or table sugar (sucrose), are the focus of a comprehensive new study, which also looks at the unique way in which fructose may contribute to these conditions.

The study states that there is an “urgent need for public health strategies that reduce the consumption of these drinks.”

It is already well documented that consuming one or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day can cause weight gain and obesity. This is partly because liquid calories are not filling, which means that people drink them alongside their usual food intake.

Sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrup, produced from corn starch, are widely used in the US as a cheaper alternative to sucrose in foods and beverages. While consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has decreased slightly in the last 10 years, they remain the single greatest source of added sugar intake in the US diet.

For 1 in 4 Americans, soft drinks provide least 200 calories a day; 5% of the population consume more than 500 calories a day in this way – the equivalent of four cans of soda.

Proven risk of disease
Researchers, led by Dr. Frank Hu, PhD, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, MA, reviewed data from recent epidemiological studies and meta-analyses of these studies.

They found that consuming one or two servings a day:

increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 26%
heightens the risk of heart attack or fatal heart disease by 35%
raises the risk of stroke by 16%.
They also explored how fructose is metabolized in the body and its link to weight gain and the development of metabolic and cardiovascular conditions.