Think before you drink, scientists warn, as your soda habit could be silently killing you.
According to research, just two sweetened drinks a day, including sodas and fruit juices, could waste 24 minutes of your life.
This means that your drinking habit could reduce your life expectancy by years.
Say, for example, you start drinking soda around age five, by the time you’re 55 you could have lost almost a year of your life (304 days).
According to a report published by the National Center for Health Statistics, about half of the American population over the age of two consumes two sugary drinks a day, on average.
Researchers say the problem is added sugar, and that this concoction is linked to several types of cancer, chronic kidney disease and heart disease. However, studies have shown that even artificial sweeteners can cause similar health problems.
Scientists at the University of Michigan also looked at how different foods can reduce life expectancy.
The most offensive item turned out to be a hot dog, and each one took 36 minutes off his life.
According to research, just two sweetened drinks a day, including sodas and fruit juices, could waste 24 minutes of your life.
Cured meats were found to be the second most harmful food, robbing you of 26 minutes after each grazing session, while egg breakfast sandwiches could cost you ten minutes per serving.
This means that if you combine two sodas with a hot dog and egg sandwich every day for a year, this excellent combination could cost you about 18 days.
Add some cured meats on top and this would add another seven days, bringing the total to 25 days lost each year.
Other products harmful to health were bacon, which takes six minutes off life, and cheeseburgers, which take nine minutes.
Commenting on the University of Michigan findings, leading food safety expert Dr Darin Detwiler told DailyMail.com: ‘This study reinforces that making small, consistent changes to drinking habits can increase life expectancy. in years and improve overall health.
‘Taking this study literally, a healthy 20-year-old – whose life expectancy may be 79 years – who starts drinking two soft drinks a day can, according to the study, lose three to four years of life due to the impacts of those drinks. ‘
The graph above shows the change in additives in five food groups between 2001 and 2019. The data is in average additives per item.
However, Dr. Detwiler points out that the study has limitations, as the results are “observational, not scientific,” meaning the findings “cannot definitively prove a cause-and-effect relationship.”
Despite this, he encourages people to take note of the findings and use them to adapt their diet appropriately.
Noting the findings on sweetened drinks, he adds: “Cutting out soda or reducing consumption could prolong life expectancy.”
“But one thing that is certain is that eliminating these sugary drinks will definitely improve your quality of life, including reducing the risks of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
“This could also improve weight management and overall health.
‘Think of consuming soft drinks like driving a car without regular maintenance.
‘Although it does not guarantee a breakdown, over time the likelihood of a serious problem increases, especially if combined with other unhealthy habits.
‘Perhaps this study could support public awareness campaigns about the risks.
“You could also see this as a driving force behind policies to reduce the availability of soft drinks in schools and workplaces.”