Popular sugary drinks could have harmful long-term implications for women, including heart disease and a high risk for diabetes, according to a study by a U. Oklahoma Health Sciences Center professor.
OU public health professor Christina Shay was the lead author on a study presented to the American Heart Association conference in November. In the study, she found that women who drink more than two sugary drinks a day have more health complications.
“There were two things we saw: an increased risk of high triglycerides in the blood and a high risk of pre-diabetes, which is one step before diabetes,” Shay said. “This was only in the women and only in those that drank two or more sugary drinks a day.”
About 25 million people in the U.S. have diabetes and about two million more are diagnosed every year, according to the National Diabetes Association. Oklahoma ranks in the top 20 states for diabetes-related deaths.
This study was part of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and surveyed more than 4,000 men and women and asked if they consumed more than two sugary drinks, classified as soda, sweetened-mineral water and non-alcoholic beer, Shay said. Though not listed, other sugary drinks include sports and energy drinks and sweetened tea.
The group tracked the people over time and looked at their health problems, she said.
Another interesting part of the study was that the women getting these complications were not necessarily obese to begin with, meaning obesity was not the reason behind the diseases, she said.
“I am an observational researcher, so I look at studies that collect information to see how things naturally occur,” Shay said. “I only look observationally at causes and associations.”
Women could be more at risk because of their typically smaller sizes, Shay said. A sugary beverage can contain as many as 150 calories, a larger part of a woman’s daily calorie consumption.
“That 150 calories may be worth more in form of risk because of the smaller daily energy needs,” Shay said. “You get a bigger bang for your buck.”
Sugary drinks and sugary foods can have negative effects in the short-term as well, such as fatigue and losing concentration, said Patti Landers, dietician for OU Health Services. Students should try to balance their diet with proteins and fibers, especially while studying for finals.
Good snacks include nuts, dried fruit, whole wheat bread with cream cheese and high-fiber cereal, Landers said.
Shay said she is in the process of having her study published and is interested in further studying the implications of sugary drinks and encouraging other researchers to look into whether cutting back on drinks makes people healthier.