There is an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome in middle-aged adults who regularly drink carbonated soft drinks, even calorie-free ones.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of several cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, excessive fat around the abdomen and glucose intolerance, a condition in which the body can no longer process sugar in the blood that often precedes diabetes, Forbes TV reported. Relation between soft-drink consumption and metabolic syndrome has been based primarily on the high sugar content.
To further evaluate this relationship, researchers analysed data accumulated from people participating in the Framingham Heart Study. In the first analysis, it was found that people who consumed one or more soft drinks per day had a 48 percent higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome compared to whose who drank less.