Soft Drinks Lead to Heart Attack

A new study conducted by Hannah Gardener and her team from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and at Columbia University Medical Center, found a potential link between daily consumption of diet soft drinks and risk of vascular events.

Individuals who always drank diet soft drinks every day, can increase the risk of attacks of vascular events such as stroke, heart attack and vascular death.

However, in contrast, they found that regular consumption of soft drinks and more moderate intake of diet soft drinks do not seem associated with a higher risk of vascular events.

Dr Hannah Gardener's research suggested
'an association between daily diet fizzy drink
consumption and vascular outcomes.'
 (Picture from: http://med.miami.edu/)

The team looked at the relationship between diet and regular soft drink consumption and risk of stroke, myocardial infarction (or heart attack), and vascular death. Data were analyzed from 2,564 participants in Manhattan, designed to find the incidence of stroke, risk factors and prognosis in a multi-ethnic urban population. The researchers looked at how often people drink diet and regular soft drinks, as well as the number of vascular events that occurred over the past ten years.

The team found that those who drank diet soft drinks daily were 43 percent more likely to have an event than those who do not drink, after taking into account existing vascular conditions such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Gardener conclude, the results of this study indicate a potential link between the consumption of diet soft drinks daily and vascular patients. Other studies also showed that teenagers who drank more than five cans of non-diet carbonated soft drinks per week were significantly more likely to behave aggressively, including carrying weapons and violence against their friends and siblings.

The results at 1,878 adolescents from 22 public schools in Boston, Massachusetts, showed one in three (30%) of respondents included in the category of high consumption, or consumed five cans of soft drinks a week.

The researchers then looked at the relationship the potential for violent behavior in this group, by asking if they had been violent toward their peers, siblings, or spouse, and if they had carried a gun or knife during the past year.

Those who drank five or more cans of soft drinks per week had a greater likelihood of alcohol and smoking, at least once in the previous month. The use of non-diet carbonated beverages are also well aligned with the habit of carrying a gun or knife, and violence against peers, and family members.

The researchers concluded, there is the possibility of a causal relationship between aggressive behavior with sugar or caffeine content of soft drinks. *** [DEDI RISKOMAR | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 10052012]

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