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Sugary Drinks Negatively Impact These Two Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Drinking 12 ounces of sugary beverages more than once a day may lower “good” cholesterol and increase triglycerides a new study shows. Read on to learn what this new study uncovered!

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There’s no sugarcoating it: Having too many sweet drinks may be linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older adults, according to new research.

Drinking 12 ounces of sugary beverages more than once a day may lower “good” cholesterol and increase triglycerides, fat in the blood that can lead to heart disease.

“Reducing the number of or eliminating sugary drink consumption may be one strategy that could help people keep their triglyceride and good cholesterol at healthier levels,” lead study author Nicola McKeown said in a news release. McKeown is a nutrition epidemiologist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.

Researchers aimed to find out why and how these added sugars lead to heart disease. They hypothesized it could be a result of an unhealthy imbalance of cholesterol and triglyceride levels, a condition known as dyslipidemia that affects an estimated 40% to 50% of U.S. adults.

Previous studies have shown added sugars increase heart disease risk. Beverages such as sports drinks, fruit-flavored drinks with added sugar and regular soda are the largest source of added sugars for Americans.

Read the full story here.

 

Thirsty for more scientific research on sugary drinks? Check out our sugary drink fast facts!