If you love to drink sugary sodas, you might not be happy to learn they can cause harm beyond making you obese.
According to researchers at University of Southern California, San Francisco, sugary drinks are associated with cell aging. Consequently, overindulgence may put you at risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
These findings were reported in a recent study, which showed that telomeres (units of DNA that protect the ends of chromosomes in cells) were shorter in the white blood cells of participants who drank more soda.
This is significant because the length of telomeres within white blood cells has been linked with life expectancy. The research report, which appeared in American Journal of Public Health, adjusted for outside factors such as demographic and health-related characteristics.
Researchers took a look at the link between drinking sugar-sweetened beverages, diet soda, and fruit juice in comparison to telomere length among 5,309 healthy U.S. adults from the ages of 20 to 65. Results were used from the 1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.
Read more about the UC San Francisco study here.