Soft Drinks, Hard Facts

Listen up, soda-holics: Cutting back on your favorite thirst quencher may be just what the doctor ordered.

Recent research has shown that reducing your intake of sugary beverages may help lower blood pressure.

Combined with previous findings linking sweet drinks to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, this new information adds another compelling reason to reach for a refreshing bottle of water when thirst strikes.

What accounts for the blood-pressure findings? The credit goes partly to the weight loss that can result from decreasing your intake of sugar-laden beverages.

Additionally, the high level of sodium in many of these drinks may be to blame for raising blood pressure. And their sugar content, according to WebMD, may increase levels of a hormone called catecholamines, which can cause blood pressure to rise.

While changing your drinking habits might not be the magic answer to avoiding high blood pressure and heart problems down the line, the evidence does offer some food (or drink) for thought.

It’s just one more good reason to consider hitting the water cooler more often than the Coke machine.

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