Drinking just one Coke on a daily basis can increase the risk of heart failure by around 20% it’s estimated. The shocking finding was discovered by the UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on nutrition who recommended that adults consume no more than 30g of sugar a day – that’s less than a single 330ml can of Coca Cola.

One can of Coca-Cola contains 35g of sugar which means that drinking even one sugary drink a day can dramatically increase the risk of heart problems. The study of 42,000 middle aged men found that drinking two 200ml soft drinks every day was enough to increase your chances of heart failure by around 23%. The research also looked at sweetened fruit squash, fizzy drinks and other drinks with added sugar and artificial sweeteners, but not natural fruit juice.

The UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition has warned that adults should halve their sugar intake if they want to consume less than 30g of sugar a day – not just several teaspoons. This works out to less than a single 330ml can of Coca Cola, containing 35g.

Sweetened drinks have previously been linked to changes in blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. The Swedish researchers who wrote in the medical journal Heart believe this is the first time a link has been made with heart failure.

The heart failure is caused by drinking just two sweet beverages a day and the study’s findings show this put the subjects at serious risk of heart problems. Researchers found that this means there could be implications for heart failure prevention strategies and they also stressed that this study only involved white older men and therefore may not apply to younger age groups like women or certain ethnic groups.

Many researchers are however cautioning that people who drink a lot of sweetened drinks could have a poor diet overall and this may explain the suggested link between sugary drinks and heart failure.

The best message for a preventive strategy is to avoid all sugary drinks altogether if you want to maintain a good level of general health. Many soft drink manufacturers however say that there are no definitive conclusions that can be drawn between drinking cola and the intended outcome (heart failure). The argument is that the key risk factors involved for heart failure include high blood pressure, an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise.

What do you think?

I have been informing my readers for the longest time about the dangers of sugar within the diet. Processed foods and sugars are poisonous to the body and are the main cause of inflammation that is the precursor to many diseases.

If you want to stay healthy for life, avoid unnatural sugars like the plague as these cause more damage to the body than necessary. Instead, opt for a healthy diet filled with natural fruits and green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes. You can find out more about the Really Healthy Foods diet here.

Source: Daily Mail