Drinking sugar-laden soft drink can kill you

Drinking one sugar-laden soft drink every day could dramatically increase the odds of having a heart attack. A study of more than 40,000 men suggested that a daily sugar-sweetened drink raised the chances of having a heart attack, including a fatal one, by 20 per cent. In contrast, diet varieties that use artificial sweeteners were given a clean bill of health by the study's authors. Researcher Lawrence de Koning said the body may compensate for the sugar rush of soft drinks by making its own supply of fats, and some of these will be bad for the heart. Tests on blood samples showed those who drank the sugary beverages tended to have higher levels of dangerous blood fats and of proteins linked to heart disease. Levels of ‘good' cholesterol were lower, the journal Circulation reported. The study also found that the more sugary drinks someone had, including still fruit squashes to which sugar is added during manufacturing, the more the risk rose. Importantly, the link stood when other factors such as smoking, weight, alcohol and exercise were taken into account. Previous research has linked sugary drinks with diabetes and weight gain.