Chauncey Crandall, M.D., F.A.C.C., is the Director of Preventive Medicine at the world-renowned Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He also publishes the monthly “Heart Health Report” — subscribe here.
In the most recent April 2015 issue of “Heart Health Report”, Dr. Crandall has an article concerning the dangers of drinking soda which I found most interesting:
“Although not that many foods have been directly linked to our nation’s ills, when it comes to sweetened soft drinks, the evidence is mounting. A study by Harvard researchers found that people who consume sugary drinks regularly – 1 to 2 – cans a day or more have a 26 percent greater risk of developing diabetes than those who rarely drink them. “In addition, researchers involved with the Nurses’ Health Study tracked the soft drink consumption of 90,000 women for nine years. The women who had one or more servings a day of a sugar-sweetened soft drink or fruit punch were twice as likely to develop Type 2 diabetes during the study. “Sugary soft drinks may also promote aging in general. In a University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) study last year, researchers found that telomeres – the protective parts of DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes – were shorter in the white blood cells of study participants who reported drinking more sweetened soda. “Based on the way telomeres normally shorten with age, the UCSF researchers calculated that daily consumption of a 10-ounce soda was equivalent to an average of 4.6 years of wear. That effect on telomere length is comparable to the effect of smoking, they said. “The length of telomeres in white blood cells – where they can most easily be measured – has previously been associated with human life span. Short telomeres also have been associated with development of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer.”Rev. Malkmus Comments... Knowing the dangers found in certain types of sugar in the diet, especially high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the kind found in soft drinks, I personally have not consumed a single soft drink in almost 40 years. I’m so glad that some 40 years ago I learned that there were certain things I could do to improve my health and prevent future health problems and I have observed them for all these years because I don’t like to be sick. I learned that there are 4 white foods that have a very negative bearing on my future health – white flour (which converts rapidly to sugar), white sugar, white fat (animal fat), and white milk. I also learned that there are two essentials to a long and healthy life – a 100% plant-based diet and vigorous daily exercise. I attribute my excellent health at age 81 to my observing both of the above truths for almost 40 years.
