Sweet drink a aay raises heart attack risk

New evidence shows men who drink a single sweet drink a day have a 20 percent greater risk of coronary heart disease. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health conducted the study using 40,000 men. They point out that one drink is a fairly small amount, so even men who have sugary drinks in moderation are at risk. The researchers found that the more sugary drinks someone had, including drinks to which sugar is added during manufacturing, the more the risk for heart disease rose. Nutrition experts say the new study doesn’t prove sugar-sweetened beverages cause heart disease. It may, however, indicate an unhealthy lifestyle that could lead to heart disease. Lawrence de Koning, PhD., told the London Daily Mail that although his study did not link diet soft drinks with heart problems, ‘better choices’ are available. “Water, coffee and tea are probably the best choices, after that would be low-fat milk. It is not clear whether fruit juice is a good replacement. There is a lot of sugar in it, but it does have added benefits such as vitamins and fiber,” Koning said. Tea and coffee should be taken without sugar, he added. In contrast, the authors of the study also gave a variety of artificial sweeteners a clean bill of health. Previous studies have linked sugary drinks with diabetes and weight gain.