cardiovascular disease

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Sweet Beverages Boost Your Risk of Diabetes, Heart Disease & Cancer – Your Drinks Become You!

People who consume a lot of sweet beverages, including fruit juice, not only get fat, but also increase their risks of type 2 diabetes and, possibly, cardiovascular disease AND even cancer.

“No one imagines that soft drinks, whether sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners, are health food. But what about fruit juice? Most people do think that juice is healthful. A new study finds that sweet beverages of any sort contribute to a higher risk of diabetes…” (Diabetes Care, Oct. 2019).
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Today, the number of overweight people and drastically ill people, people ill with diabetes, heart disease, cancer and more in the ‘developed’ world, is increasing exponentially.
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People are shocked by the sheer numbers, and wonder why they’re ill, or if they have not been afflicted, hope it won’t ‘happen’ to them.
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I’m sure someone close to you presently suffers from one or more of these illnesses. The real dangers of sugar cannot be underestimated.
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But let’s get down to basics for a moment – put aside what you are eating for the moment and take a look at what you are drinking.

Fruit Juice – No, Never! Are You Kidding Me? ‘They’ said it’s healthy, so I down it by the litre. My kids, too.

Fruit juices usually have a “health halo” around them. Health authorities around the world encourage you to drink fruit juice, deeming them healthy.
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However, they fail to mention that these drinks also contain an enormous amount of sugar!  Especially juice from cartons. Fructose and added sugars in some drinks make your blood sugar spike. The truth is: there is more sugar per ounce of orange or apple juice than in Coke! They are spookily risky and a major health hazard.
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Scientists have found problems with fruit juices. A study published in JAMA Network Open showed a link between fruit juice consumption and premature death.
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Be very wary about advertisements. Marketing companies are very savvy at dressing up and twisting facts to suit whatever they want to achieve. They do not (necessarily) have your best interests at heart. Returns-On-Investments are crucial to their shareholders. If you are not vigilant or aware, you could end up doing things that may not be in your best interests. And this one certainly isn’t.
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At the end of the day, sugar is sugar, whether it is fruit sugar, cane sugar, refined white sugar, certified organic brown sugar or whatever. Your body cannot tell whether it comes from organic fruit, chemical fruit or is bleached to death or whether it comes in a can or packaged with a big satin ribbon from Harrods in London.

Then, there is alcohol. Once in your body, it is converted to sugar.
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It does not matter whether it is vintage organic wine or white label plonk from the cheap hypermarket you drove a thousand miles’ from your house to purchase from.
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What about fizzy drinks, canned drinks, milk drinks, chocolate drinks? Regardless of what is written on the cans, bottles, cartons, they contain an enormous amount of sugar.
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Forget about zero calorie drinks – they are another health hazard to be reckoned with, and we’ll deal with that in another article.

Chilling out in trendy coffee bars may seem very cool AND the in-thing to do. Those coffees, lattes, frappés, cappuccinos, hot chocolates…are often  sweet. Yes, of course, most outlets, to save money, allow you to add the amount of sugar you desire. But many don’t. It’s up to you to monitor your intake..

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In Greece, where I have lived for years, the Frappés come laden with humongous amounts of sugar. Best not to stir the drink, and let the sugar sleep at the bottom of your iced glass! (Don’t tell your tavern host, he’d be offended.)
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This article may seem like a wet blanket – full of ‘cannots’, ‘do-nots‘.  It isn’t, really.  This is just to make you aware.
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At the end of the day, it’s better to be safe than sorry when you are lying in the operating theatre as ‘they’ prepare to amputate your excruciatingly painful gangrenous leg, or you’re retching into the loo or all over yourself from your 10th round of killer chemo. Not cute.

The Evidence on Sweet Beverages and Diabetes: 

A research analysed over 150,000 women in The Nurses’ Health studies as well as 34,000 in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.
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These individuals were closely monitored for decades: Diet and lifestyle informations were collected every few years. The end result was nearly 3 million person-years of data that was collected and carefully scrutinised and analysed.

The studies reported these findings:

• Individuals who increased their intake of sweet or sweetened drinks (fruit juices, drinks with sweeteners, alcoholic beverages) had an increased propensity for a type 2 diagnosis. 
• Individuals who took an increased 1/2 serving (on top of their usual intake) daily of sweet or sweetened beverages over the last 4 years of monitoring had a 16% increased likelihood of being diagnosed diabetic within the following 4-year period.
• Individuals who opted to replace their juices and/or sweetened beverages with (unsweetened) coffee, tea or water had a reduced risk of diabetes.

Being diabetic is no joke. It is also the un-mentioned precursor to many degenerative diseases that include cancer and heart disease.

Life as a diabetic is no fun. Diabetics who are really ill are not sitting in Starbucks drinking coffee latte or sipping fruit cocktails and champagne in St. Mark’s Square in Venice.
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They are probably suffering at home or having their toes or legs amputated in hospital. Do not walk that path.

After A Diabetes Diagnosis ~ 4 Precautionary Actions to Take

Another Problem with Soft Drinks: CardioVascular Disease

Sadly, the problem of sweet drinks does not end with diabetes. Diabetes isn’t the only potential health hazard lurking for people in love with their sweet and sweetened beverages, fruit juices, soda, alcohol.
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In other studies, researchers found that individuals who had a high intake of sweet and sweetened drinks, soda, alcohol and fruit juices are on a fast track to cardiovascular disease. These people also have a higher likelihood of suffering from high blood pressure and/or gout. The overconsumption of beer is notorious for causing gout.
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Another study found that soft drinks can lead to strokes and death. Sugary drinks can also stress the kidneys.

Recognizing Early Warning Signs of Cardiac Arrest Heart Attack Could Save Your Life

I’m really sorry, but the bad news doesn’t end here with cardiovascular disease. The overconsumption of sweet and sweetened beverages can lead to the dreaded capital C disease…CANCER!

Sweet Beverages and the Risk of Cancer

Individuals who drink sugary beverages regularly and in quantity may suffer a higher likelihood of developing cancer (French study, BMJ, July 10, 2019)
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However, soda and soft drinks are not the only culprit. Sweet and sweetened beverages with 100% fruit juice are big offenders. So beware of thinking that fruit is good, so drink more fruit juice! No. No. No. No!

This investigation called NutriNet-Santé included over 100,000 middle-aged French adult participants and took place over 9 years. The participants completed a minimum of two validated dietary questionnaires. All the participants were examined at the start of the study and qualified as healthy at the start of the study.

Some Participants Developed Cancer

After 5 years, over 2,000 participants reported a first diagnosis of cancer during the follow-up time frame. Analyses reported that the individuals who had an increased consumption of sweet drinks, including 100% fruit juices, had an increased likelihood of contracting cancer.
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The researchers reported specifically that an additional 1/2 cup daily  of sweet/sweetened beverage raised the likelihood of any form of cancer by 18% and the likelihood of breast cancer by a whopping 22%!
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Of course, observational studies like this can’t establish cause and effect. However, one study found a specific link between the consumption of soda / soft drinks and the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Soda / Soft Drinks / Pop and Pancreatic Cancer

An epidemiological study in Singapore tracked over 60,000 adults for 14 years (Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, February 2010).
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The study reported that individuals who consumed a minimum of two sodas / soft drinks a week developed an increased risk of contracting pancreatic cancer by a whopping 90%!
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The hypothesis of the researchers was the insulin spike due to the high concentration of sugar in soda/soft drinks. Earlier research has also hypothesised that insulin may act as a growth factor for cancer cells. Certain scientists also believe that sugar itself acts like fertilizer to nourish the growth and development of cancerous tumours.

Cancer Signs and Symptoms: Worried About Cancer?

Pancreatic cancer is rare. And the study reported only 140 cases during the entire 14-year study period. Therefore, the absolute risk, even for die-hard soda / soft drinks lovers, is still low. Nonetheless, the figures are worth noting as pancreatic cancer is so deadly.
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This was not the first time sugary drinks were linked to a higher risk of pancreatic cancer. Steve Jobs, apparently was a fruitarian for several years of his life. And he died of the deadly pancreatic cancer.
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Despite this, the findings were deemed controversial. An industry group, the American Beverage Association, argued that there were many flaws in this epidemiological study. According to them, the people who mostly drank fruit juice did not have a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer.
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The ball is in your court. If sweet drinks are your thing, well and fine. But I, for one, prefer to go without or to cut down drastically. I don’t fancy developing cancer, diabetes or heart disease if it means foregoing soda and fruit juices. After all, there are so many other delicious beverages to drink!
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So, check what you are drinking – cut out or cut down the sugar content of the beverages that you drink. There are lots of delicious drinks that do not contain detrimental amounts of sugar. Use your common sense and exercise caution.
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Make Smarter Health Choices
…Consciously, Deliberately, Actively.
© Helen Chow, ND
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What is your experience? Do you drink or don’t drink sweet beverages?
What else can we drink to stay healthy?
Post your viewpoints and comments below!