Sugary Drinks are Bad for Your Heart

Study Finds Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Increase Women's Risk of Coronary Heart
Disease

BOSTON, March 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Regular consumption of sugary
beverages such as soda put women at a higher risk for coronary heart disease.
This data is part of a new study led by Simmons College Nutrition Professor
Teresa Fung.

Published in the April edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
the study found a significant positive association between sugar-sweetened
beverage intake and risk of coronary heart disease. Women who consumed two or
more servings of these beverages each day had a 35% higher risk of heart
disease compared to those who consumed less than two servings per month.

The study authors controlled for factors such as smoking, lower levels of
physical activity, higher body mass index numbers, consumption of more energy,
saturated and trans fats, and consumption of less alcohol, fruit, and
vegetables, and found that women who had these behaviors also were more likely
to consume sugar-sweetened beverages.

"We all know that drinking lots of sugary beverages is unhealthy," said Fung.
"This study looked specifically at how regular consumption of sugary beverages
can lead to an increased risk of heart disease."

The study defined sugar-sweetened beverages as carbonated and non-carbonated
beverages that contain sugar-based caloric sweeteners and are flavored with
fruit juice or natural and artificial flavors. It also included caffeinated
and non-caffeinated colas, including low-calorie sweet beverages such as diet
sodas.

Previous studies have found that consumption of these beverages has more than
doubled in the last 30 years from about 3.9% of energy intake in the late
1970s, compared to 9.2% current energy intake today.

The study used data from the Nurses' Health Study, a National Institutes of
Health-funded project that began in 1976 to examine factors that influence
women's health. The surveyed cohort included approximately 88,000 women ages
34-59 whose diet patterns were studied from 1980 on.

In addition to Fung, other study authors included Vasanti Malik, Harvard
School of Public Health; Kathryn M. Rexrode, Harvard Medical School; JoAnn E.
Manson, Harvard Medical School; Walter C. Willett, Harvard School of Public
Health; and Frank B. Hu, Harvard School of Public Health.

Simmons College (www.simmons.edu) is a nationally recognized private
university located in the heart of Boston. It offers an undergraduate
education for women, and renowned coeducational graduate programs in health
sciences, education, liberal arts, social work, library and information
science, and communications management, as well as the nation's first MBA
program designed specifically for women.

SOURCE Simmons College

Allyson Irish of Simmons College, +1-617-521-2324 (w), +1-781-696-2850 (c),
allyson.irish@simmons.edu