Tuesday, 13 March 2012

Put away that can of coke!

Oh dear!!... a piece of advice..when preparing for the MRCP, try not to consume sugary soft drinks. I remember drinking a can a day as a student to stay awake - the high caffeine content helps! However, a recent study conducted has shown that drinking a can of sugary pop a day increases your risk for coronary heart disease by 20%, even after correcting for other risk factors!! It obviously has to do with its sugar content, and interestingly drinks with artificial sweeteners does not seem to have that effect, though it is associated with higher risk of weight gain and metabolic diseases.

Also of note, sugary pop can also increase triglyceride levels and levels of inflammatory markers, which are directly related to development of cardiovascular disease. There are a number of studies that have shown inflammation to play a key role in development of atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction.

So what to do? Just cut down on intake :-) . Easy peasy!

Read the article here.

Vik
Director, E-Medilearn.org Limited

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