AFP Relax
A new study has found that men who drink about a can of full-calorie soda or sugar-sweetened juice a day could be increasing their risk of developing heart disease by about 20 percent.
Published in the journal Circulation, Harvard researchers followed 42,880 men over 22 years, measuring the different lipids and proteins in the participants' bloodstream.
After controlling for risk factors like smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption and family medical history, scientists found that those who consumed sugary beverages on a daily basis had higher levels of triglycerides -- or bad fat -- and lower levels of good cholesterol or HDL levels compared to men who refrained from sugary drinks.
Both biomarkers are known to be associated with a higher risk of heart disease.
"This study adds to the growing evidence that sugary beverages are detrimental to cardiovascular health," said lead author Frank Hu. "Certainly, it provides strong justification for reducing sugarybeverage consumption among patients, and more importantly, in the general population."
The role of artificially sweetened beverages, meanwhile, is unclear.
Beginning in 1986, participants were asked to fill out questionnaires about their diet and health habits every two years until 2008. The men also provided a blood sample midway through the project.
It's the latest study to find an association between the consumption of sugary drinks and the increased risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses.
Last year, the American Heart Association also warned that women who drink more than two sugar-sweetened drinks a day may also up the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Another US study estimated that imposing a soda tax could prevent 100,000 cases of heart disease, 8,000 strokes and prevent 26,000 deaths a year.
Meanwhile, in response to charges that caramel coloring in soda is an animal carcinogen, both Coca-Cola and Pepsi said last week they will lower levels of the chemical 4-MEI to comply with recently imposed California requirements.
The southwestern state has a 29-microgram benchmark for 4-MEI in products. Anything that may expose consumers to a daily level higher than that must carry a warning label.
If you want to know what your risk of dementia and stroke will be down the line, new research finds that surprisingly simple tests today could give you the answer.
The handshake test How's your grip? Not only is a firm handshake a sign of confidence, but doctors say it may be a barometer of your health, too. Researchers followed nearly 2,500 men and women for more than a decade, according to new research presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting, and linked the risk of dementia and stroke to how strong their handshakes were at the beginning of the study. Having a stronger grip was associated with a 42 percent lower risk of stroke in people over age 65 compared with other study participants with flimsier grasps. What's the connection? "Vascular problems in the brain manifest themselves in a wide variety of ways," says study author Erica Camargo, MD, of the Boston Medical Center. The suspicion is that if your grip is particularly weak, it could be a sign that your overall cardiovascular health isn't in the best shape, she says.
Boost Brain Power All-Day Long The walking report Are you a speed demon or more of a stroller? If people think you're a New Yorker simply by the speed of your stride, you're in luck. The same study found that those who walked at a brisk clip had a much lower risk of developing dementia than their tortoise-paced counterparts. Those with a slower walking speed in middle age were one and a half times more likely to develop dementia. "Walking speed can be a great test of general frailty, and since walking is not exactly simple (you have to look where you're going and plan ahead) the time it takes you to process this information can be a measurement of how damaged the brain is," says Dr. Camargo.
Sneaky Stroke Symptoms The sleeping quiz Snooze with one eye open? You could be at risk for memory problems later on. According to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, people who wake up more than five times per hour are more likely to have amyloid plaque build up in their brain, which is thought to be a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. Even if you think you get in a full eight hours every night, don't be so sure: Although most study participants were physically in bed for eight hours, the average amount of sleep people actually got was closer to six and a half hours-and 25 percent of the participants had evidence of amyloid plaques.
20 Ways to Sleep Better Every Night --By Molly Raisch, Prevention
