Consuming Soda and Other Sugary Beverages Can Increase Heart Risk

A new study has linked soda and other sweetened beverage consumption with increased risk of heart attacks in men. Harvard researchers found that men who drank one sugar-sweetened beverage per day had a 20 percent increased risk of heart attack compared to those who stayed away from sugary drinks, according to the study published in the journal Circulation.

The study also showed that the risk increased with the amount of sweetened drinks that men consumed. Two sugary drinks per day led to a 42 percent increased risk and three drinks upped that risk to 69 percent. Researchers believe that drinking sweetened beverages was linked to higher levels of inflammatory factors such as C-reactive Protein, which is considered to be a factor in the development of heart disease.