Dietary habits have been associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. The individual components of metabolic syndrome as a whole increase the risk of heart failure, cardiovascular disease and mortality. The link between soda consumption and heart disease risk factors have been verified by several clinical trials.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
In the December 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, researchers correlated dietary fructose from added sugars found in soda, including sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, to the rising prevalence of metabolic syndrome and hypertension. The authors said the administration of fructose to test animals and humans increases blood pressure and may also be a risk factor for kidney disease that includes hypertension, kidney inflammation and injury. The authors concluded that extreme fructose intake ought to be considered an environmental toxin with major health repercussions.
Dietary Sugar and Heart Disease
The October 2010 issue of Nutrition contained an article that focused on the relationship linking major dietary patterns and incidence of metabolic syndrome in people with impaired glucose tolerance. The authors conducted a study in which dietary data were gathered using a food-frequency questionnaire. Blood pressure, waist circumference, glucose and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured. The study identified dietary patterns that are high in sweets -- including the consumption of soda -- are associated with greater odds of having increased blood pressure, leading to heart disease.
Heart Disease in the Samoan Population
The occurrence of metabolic syndrome has reached epidemic heights in the Samoan Islands. The October 2009 Journal of Nutrition included a study describing dietary trends among American Samoan and Samoan adults to identify traditional and contemporary eating patterns, and to correlate these patterns to the occurrence of metabolic syndrome. The authors found that the traditional dietary pattern was characterized by high intake of local foods -- including crab and lobster, coconut products and taro, and low intake of processed foods such as potato chips and soda. The modern pattern, however, was characterized by high intake of processed foods such as rice, potato chips, cake and soda, and low intake of local foods. The traditional dietary pattern was associated with a decrease in abdominal circumference and inverse associated with metabolic syndrome. On the other hand, the modern diet was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome, including heart disease.
Diet Soda and Heart Disease
The April 2009 issue of Diabetes Care included an article that determined the associations between diet soda consumption and risk of metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes in a multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis. Diet soda consumption was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire. The study found that once-daily consumption of diet soda was associated with a 36 percent greater relative risk of metabolic syndrome and a 67 percent greater relative risk of Type 2 diabetes compared with no consumption. The authors concluded that although these data cannot establish causality, consumption of diet soda at least daily was associated with significantly greater risks of metabolic syndrome components and Type 2 diabetes
References
- Journal of the American Society of Nephrology; The effect of fructose on renal biology and disease; R. Johnson et al; December 2010
- Nutrition: Relationship between major dietary patterns and metabolic syndrome among individuals with impaired glucose tolerance; M. Amini et al; October 2010
- Journal of Nutrition: Dietary patterns are associated with metabolic syndrome in adult Samoans; J. DiBello et al; October 2009
- Diabetes Care: Diet soda intake and risk of incident metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA); J. Nettleton et al; April 2009
