A new study has found that just one regular soda consumed daily presents significant risks for developing diabetes.
The study was conducted by researchers at Imperial College London and involved a review of data from 350,000 adults in 18 European countries, said RTT News. The researchers discovered that for each 12-ounce serving of sugar-sweetened beverages consumed on a daily basis, diabetes risks increased to 18 percent when compared to people who consumed one can or less of a sweetened beverage per month.
“Given the increase in sweet beverage consumption in Europe, clear messages on the unhealthy effect of these drinks should be given to the population,” lead researcher Dora Romaguera, told RTT News. The researchers also said that their study “corroborates the association between increased incidence of Type-2 diabetes and high consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks in European adults.”
This is not the first time we’ve written about the dangers associated with soda and sweetened drinks. Earlier this year, we wrote that beverage giant, PepsiCo, announced it would stop using brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in some of its Gatorade drinks. BVO is found in a number of popular citrus-flavored sodas and drinks and is used keep the drinks’ ingredients from separating. Derived from soybeans or corn, BVO is an emulsifier that is also patented as flame retardant, and has long been banned as a food additive in Europe and Japan.
According to a prior Scientific American report, BVO, an ingredient in about 10 percent of drinks sold in the United States, has been associated with reports of people needing treatment for skin lesions, memory loss, and nerve disorders following binges with beverages made with BVO. Experts have associated BVO to depression, memory disorders, fatigue, and seizures, in addition to neurological and thyroid disorders.
We have also long written about the potential dangers associated with highly-caffeinated drinks such as Red Bull, Monster Energy, and 5-Hour Energy.
Research on energy drinks has long been lacking with minimal human studies of the drinks and their ingredients and there is not much credible data to show these products and their ingredients are safe for human consumption or what levels are considered safe. And, while energy drink labels claim the products do not contain more caffeine than a typical cup of coffee, with no appropriate regulations, there is insufficient available evidence to validate those claims.
We recently wrote that the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted information on 21 reports it has received since 2004 regarding the energy drink, Red Bull. Some reports mentioned hospitalizations for cardiac issues and vomiting. The FDA also confirmed or released information on 18 filings involving deaths and over 150 other filings involving injuries that mentioned one of four popular energy drinks: Red Bull, Monster Energy, Rockstar, and 5-Hour Energy, said a prior report by The New York Times. Yet, a federal report revealed that over 13,000 emergency room visits in 2009 all mentioned an energy drink as a possible cause.
