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Blog author, Solai Buchanan is an experienced Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator with an MS from Columbia Teachers College. She specializes in treating heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, polycystic ovarian syndrome,and other chronic diseases. She is a provider at a full-service cardiology practice accepting most insurance and staffed with a primary care MD, pediatrician, and cardiologist. Call: 718.894.7907. NYCC is lead by Interventional Cardiologist Sanjeev Palta, MD, FSCAI, FACC. He trained at Cornell-Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and the State University Hospital of Brooklyn. He currently is an Attending Cardiologist at New York Methodist Hospital and Maimonides Medical Center. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Having performed over 2000 invasive cardiac procedures Dr. Palta’s patients know they are in trusted hands.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

DRINKING SODA ACCELERATES CELLULAR AGING

A new study has found yet another reason to steer clear of sugary drinks.  Researchers found that independent of weight, drinking a daily 20-ounce soda is associated with an increased rate of cellular aging comparable to smoking.

Researchers assessed cellular "aging" by measuring telomere length.  Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that affect how quickly cells age. They are combinations of DNA and proteins that protect the ends of chromosomes and help them remain stable. As they become shorter, and as their structural integrity weakens, the cells age and die quicker. Shorter telomeres are associated with decreased life  span as well as a host of chronic diseases including heart disease, vascular dementia, diabetes, and some types of cancer.   

In the study, researchers collected information on dietary intake and measured the telomere length of 5,309 participants, ages 20 to 65, with no history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease.  They found that compared to those who drank less than an ounce of soda daily, those who drank an average of 8-ounces of soda experienced an additional 1.9 years of aging.   About 21% of the sample consumed on average at least 20-ounces of soda per day.  This level of consumption was equivalent to an average of 4.6 years of telomere shortening. This effect on telomere length is comparable to the effect of smoking, and to  the effect of regular exercise in the opposite, anti-aging direction. 

What to do:  Quit the sugary drinks already!  Diet drinks did not appear to be associated with telomere length so opt for these when you really need something sweet but most of the time, opt for water.  Try flavoring water or seltzer with lemon, oranges, mint, a splash of juice, cucumbers, or herbal tea to keep your taste buds satisfied.  In addition to consuming a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in sugar, maintaining a healthy weight, getting adequate sleep, exercising regularly, minimizing stress, and not smoking help to preserve telomere length.     

Adapted from articles available at:  
http://www.laweekly.com/squidink/2014/10/21/drinking-soda-may-accelerate-aging-as-much-as-smoking
http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/10/119431/sugared-soda-consumption-cell-aging-associated-new-study

Source:

Leung CW, Laraia BA, Needham BA, Rehkopf DH, Adler NE, Lin J, Blackburn EH, Epel ES.  Soda and cell aging: Associations between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and leukocyte telomere length in healthy adults from the national health and nutrition examination surveys. American Journal of Public Health. 2014.  doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302151

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