Since 1948 the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has been studying the factors that contribute to heart disease by observing and monitoring the residents of Framingham, Massachusetts. Over the last four years they have observed around 6,000 middle-aged men and women. Initially, they were healthy. Over this time they noted the following:
* Those participants who drank one or more sodas (diet or regular) a day had a 31% greater risk of becoming obese.
* They had a 30% chance of developing an increased waist circumference.
* There was a 25% chance they would develop high triglycerides.
* And, they had a 50 to 60% chance of developing metabolic syndrome regardless of whether they drank regular or diet soda.
Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of factors that can include obesity in an apple distribution (around the middle), high triglycerides, low HDL, insulin resistance and high blood pressure. Those with metabolic syndrome are at increased risk for developing heart disease.
It is understandable how sugary soda can increase abdominal girth and the other factors, but diet sodas have no calories! Why do the people who drank diet sodas also develop the same problems?
One answer might be that those who drank diet soda had similar eating and exercise habits to those who drank regular soda. There is also a theory that the substance that gives some sodas their caramel color may promote insulin resistance. The truth is that no one knows exactly how or why this happened. Till we get to the bottom of it, I would advise cutting out the sugary soda altogether and drinking diet soda in moderation.
My Research Website: The Weight Is Over
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