Metabolic syndrome represents a major health risk to many Americans. Among the many factors that increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome is the consumption of soft drinks as a significant portion of your diet. The increased risk occurs whether you drink regular or diet soft drinks. However, the research suggests different reasons for increased risk for drinking regular soft drinks versus diet soft drinks.
Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is the medical term that refers to a number of risk factors that, when they occur together, raise your risk of heart disease, diabetes and other serious health problems. Metabolic syndrome is associated with insulin resistance, where the body has difficulty using insulin in an efficient manner. Metabolic syndrome contributes to heart disease by triggering the buildup of plaque inside the heart's artery walls. As plaque hardens, it restricts the flow of blood to and from the heart.
Risk Factors for Metabolic Syndrome
Drinking more than one soft drink per day increases your risk for metabolic syndrome by more than 40 percent, according to a 2007 study conducted by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health. This is true whether you drink regular or diet soda, according to the study. Excess fat concentrated in the abdominal region -- more than a 35-inch waist for women or a 40-inch waist for men -- is another major indicator of metabolic syndrome. Other risk factors include high blood pressure, high resting blood sugar rate, high levels of LDL "bad" cholesterol and a sedentary lifestyle.
Regular Soft Drinks and Metabolic Syndrome
The link between regular soft drinks and metabolic syndrome is almost certainly connected to their high calorie and high sugar content. The calories they contain are considered "empty" calories for a reason. The high calorie content in regular soft drinks contributes directly to weight gain, with very little nutritional gain to show for those calories. In addition, consuming sugary soft drinks may also increase your preference for other foods and drinks with a high sugar content, although this conclusion has been disputed, according to the NIH study.
Diet Soft Drinks and Metabolic Syndrome
Although diet soft drinks do not have sugar or a high number of "empty" calories, many diet soft drinks have the same caramel coloring as their sugar-sweetened counterparts. Caramel coloring may promote metabolic syndrome as well as internal inflammation, according to the 2007 NIH study. Individuals with diabetes who who drank diet soda were less likely to maintain good control of their blood glucose levels than those who did not drink diet soda, according to a report published in the journal "Circulation" in 2008.
References
- "The New York Times"; Symptoms: Metabolic Syndrome Is Tied to Diet Soda; Nicholas Bakalar; February 2008
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: What Is Metabolic Syndrome?; revised April 2011
- American Heart Association: Metabolic Syndrome; 2011
- "Circuation"; Soft Drink Consumption and Risk of Developing Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and the Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged Adults in the Community; Ravi Dhingra et. al.; July 2007
- "Circulation"; Dietary Intake and the Development of the Metabolic Syndrome; Pamela L. Lutsey et. al.; January 2008
- National Institutes of Health: Adults Drinking Soft Drinks At Increased Risk of Developing Metabolic Syndrome; August 2007
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