Consuming Two Weekly Servings Of Sugary Beverages, Such As Soda, Could Adversely Affect Heart Health

●     A recent study suggests that even consuming as little as two servings per week of sugary drinks such as soda can negate the positive effects of physical activity on heart health.

●     Excessive sugar intake has been linked to chronic inflammation and obesity, both of which are known risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

●     To mitigate these risks, experts advise eliminating soda and opting for healthier alternatives like water or unsweetened coffee or tea.

Eating too much added sugar is bad for your health, and now, research says that working out might not fix the damage done by sugary drinks when it comes to heart health.

A study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked into the health of 100,000 adults over 30 years old.

They discovered that people who had drinks like soda more than twice a week were more likely to have heart problems, no matter how much they exercised. And for those who had these drinks every day, the risk was even more significant.

Even 150 minutes of exercise a week, which is usually recommended, could have compensated for the harmful effects of sugary beverages.

Sugary drinks cancel out the good things exercise does for your body. Experts say that these super sweet drinks change the good bacteria in your stomach, which can lead to more gunk building up in your big arteries, like the ones going to your heart and brain.

The bacteria in our stomach are super important because they can help keep us away from big health problems like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Working out usually helps lower inflammation in our bodies, but sugary drinks make it worse. It's like exercise tries to turn down the bad stuff in our bodies, but sugary drinks turn it right back up, making it easier for bad plaque to build up in our arteries and upping the risk of cancer.

Even though working out is good for your heart, it can't fix the damage from a sugar diet. Drinking lots of sugary drinks might even make you feel too tired to exercise as much as you should, although there were other focuses of the research.

The Adverse Health Effects Of Soda

Drinking soda isn't great for your health because it's loaded with extra sugar. This can lead to gaining weight from too many calories, tooth decay from all the sugar helping bacteria grow, as well as serious stuff like type 2 diabetes and heart problems.

Too much sugar can stiffen your arteries, which isn't good for your heart. It can also mess with your blood fats, called triglycerides, making heart disease more likely over time. If your liver gets overloaded with sugar, it can mess up your metabolism, too.

Having too much sugar can also cause long-term inflammation, putting a lot of stress on your heart and blood vessels, leading to heart disease. Plus, foods and drinks high in added sugar don't give your body any good nutrients, and they can make you put on extra weight, which brings its health risks.

Even the "diet" kind isn't a free pass when it comes to soda. Diet sodas might be similar to regular ones and should also be limited. They might have less sugar but are not free from health risks. Some studies show that even diet sodas could be linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure, but the connection isn't as strong as it is with regular soda.

There's also a chance that some people switch to diet soda after already experiencing weight gain or other health issues, which makes it tricky to know if diet soda is the cause of these problems.

Health experts suggest stopping drinking soda, both regularly and on a diet. Instead, drink water or natural fruit juices. It's also wise to monitor how much added sugar you consume each day.

For example, guidelines suggest that women should try not to have more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar daily, and men should keep it under 9 teaspoons. To put that in perspective, one can of soda can have around 10 teaspoons of added sugar. So, the advice is to limit yourself to no more than one can of soda a week to stay on the healthier side.

Overeating sugar can cause long-term swelling in your body and make you gain weight, which isn't good for your heart.

Health experts say it's best to skip soda altogether and stick to water, and if you like, coffee or tea without any sugar added.

There are plenty of good drinks out there. The top pick is always water, whether it's still or fizzy. You can make it tastier by adding fruit slices like lemon or cucumber. If you're a fan of coffee or tea, those are good choices, too; keep them sugar-free. Natural fruit smoothies mixed with milk can also be delicious and healthy.

Other great choices include water with natural flavours, like adding a bit of cucumber or lemon to give it a fresh taste, herbal teas, or even flavoured sparkling waters if you want something different.

Suppose you're looking to improve your diet and reduce sugar intake.

In that case, Mobi Doctor can provide personalised advice and support to help you make healthier beverage choices and manage your overall health.