According to a new study, soda and energy drinks sweetened with sugar may be linked to 184,000 adult deaths each year.
"This is a single dietary factor with no intrinsic health value causing tens of thousands of deaths per year," -Study coauthor Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University
A meta-analysis was performed on 62 dietary surveys from 51 countries compiled alongside information from 184 countries concerning national sugar availability from 1980 to 2010.
From NBC News:
The researchers estimated that in 2010 sugary drinks may have been responsible for 133,000 deaths from diabetes, 45,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease, and 6, 450 deaths from cancer.
The effects of sugar-sweetened beverages varied widely depending on how popular they were in a particular demographic and country. For example, the estimated percentage of deaths attributable to sugary drinks in Japanese people over age 65 was less than one percent, while it was 30 percent in Mexican adults younger than 45.
However, questions have been raised about the validity of this study from the American Beverage Association, pointing to the fact that correlation does not mean causation.
In a statement, the American Beverage Association, a trade group representing soft drink manufacturers, said the study "does not show that consuming sugar-sweetened beverages causes chronic diseases."
"The authors themselves acknowledge that they are at best estimating effects of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption," said the statement. "America's beverage companies are doing our part to offer consumers the fact-based information and the beverage options they need to make the right choices for themselves and their families."
Some might argue that the study doesn't prove beyond a doubt that soda is causing all those deaths because it's not a randomized controlled trial.
Read the full article here.
Looking to change your dietary lifestyle? Check out Traci Tate's 3 Ways to Help You Stay On Your Diet.