Exercising is not enough to counter the cardiac effects of sugary drinks.
- Drinking soda more than twice a week increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, regardless of physical activity level.
- Exercising for 150 minutes per week is not enough to counter the cardiovascular risk associated with the consumption of sugary drinks.
- “Replacing sugary drinks with diet drinks is good because it reduces the amount of sugar. But the best option is to drink water,” according to the authors.
We know: sodas are bad for your health. These increase the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of death worldwide. “Could physical activity mitigate the harmful effects of sugary or artificially sweetened drinks on cardiovascular health? » This is the question asked by researchers at Laval University (Canada). To answer this, they carried out a study, the results of which were published in the journal The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Physical activity “does not completely eliminate” the risk of cardiovascular disease linked to soda
As part of the work, the scientists used two studies involving around 100,000 adults, followed for around 30 years. The results showed that people who consumed soda more than twice a week had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, regardless of their level of physical activity. According to the team, although exercising for 150 minutes per week protects against cardiovascular disease, it is not enough to counter the harmful effects of sugary drinks. “Physical activity halves the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with sugary drinks, but it does not eliminate it completely,” said Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier, author of the study, in a statement.
“The best option is to drink water”
Faced with these worrying data, the professor underlines the importance of targeting the omnipresence of sugary drinks in the food environment. This category includes carbonated and non-carbonated drinks (with or without caffeine), lemonade and fruit juices. For artificially sweetened drinks, often presented as an alternative to sugary drinks, their consumption was not associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. “Replacing sugary drinks with diet drinks is good because it reduces the amount of sugar. But the best option is to drink water,” declared Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier.
