Research

Sweet drinks and fruit juices increase the risk of premature death.

Most of you know that sweet drinks aren'tespecially good for health, but a new study suggests that fruit juices are not much better. Moreover, their regular use can shorten your life. "Older people who drink more sugary drinks, including fruit juices, and soda and other sweetened sugar can be at risk for early death," says study author Jean Welsh, professor at the Medical Faculty of Emory University in Atlanta.

How useful are fruit juices?

“Attempts to reduce the consumption of carbonated beverages and other sweetened beverages should also include fruit juices and affect both adults and children,” says Welsh.

Welsh and her colleagues collected data for the study.about 13,440 men and women, average age 64 years, who were part of a large stroke study from 2003 to 2007. Among these participants, 71% were obese or overweight.

Participants were asked how much sweeteneddrinks they consume. In six years, on average, 1168 died. Scientists have found that those who drank the most sugary drinks — including 100% fruit juices — had an increased chance of dying during the study, compared with those who drank less. Each extra liter of drink increased the risk even more.

"Most people know that carbonatedbeverages and other sugar-sweetened beverages, including soft drinks, fruit punches, and energy drinks, are associated with weight gain and adverse health effects. But fruit juices are still widely perceived by many as a healthier option, ”scientists say.

Studies have shown that sweetened with sugardrinks are associated with an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and obesity. But in the case of fruit juices, the evidence is less obvious. Whole juices contain nutrients that can be beneficial to health, but also contain relatively high amounts of sugar from natural sources. And if fruit juices are associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes and heart disease, whole fruits are not. Scientists recommend drinking no more than 100-170 ml of juice per day.

The work was published on May 17 in the JAMA Network Open.

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