A new study in mice, by researchers at the University of Utah, Arizona and the California Children’s Institute, finds that heavily sweetened sodas (30 to 40g per can) could present many negative effects on health, in particular on fertility, survival instinct and competitiveness.
Mice fed a “sweet” diet (the human equivalent of 3 cans of soft drinks per day) have a much shorter lifespan than mice fed a normal diet.
To compare the harmfulness of soft drinks, the researchers established a sweet diet based on corn syrup high in fructose and sucrose, a sweetener commonly used in sodas.
Both groups of mice followed their diet for 26 weeks. Competitiveness, fertility, survival instinct and metabolic measures were assessed and compared.
The researchers found a difference between the two groups of mice: the sweet diet doubled the death rate of female mice. In addition, their cholesterol level increases and fertility gradually decreases.
Male mice fed on a sweet diet have low competitiveness: these rodents only defend 36% of their territory while mice with a healthy diet preserve 48% of their habitat. This diet also involves greatly reduced fertility.
The researchers suggest that “analyzes demonstrate the harmful effects of a diet too high in sugar, especially sugary drinks. However, humans are not mice and the effects will not necessarily be the same. No need to worry, therefore, but think about the already established health risks of overconsumption of sugar and moderate its consumption“.
This study was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
