Last week my blog, Diet soda consumption may be linked to increased heart attacks and strokes, was one of my most read postings in some time. Some commented that perhaps they would switch from diet to regular soda. NOT a good idea at all, and here’s another reason why:

New research is showing that:

1. Only ONE sweetened drink per day contributes to higher blood pressure,
2. Study participants who drank sweetened beverages consumed fewer nutrients, and
3. Water and 100% fruit juices are great alternatives to sugary drinks.

The Los Angeles Times “Booster Shots” blog reported http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-sugary-sodas-and-high-blood-pressure–20110228,0,7898430.story that a study published in the journal Hypertension suggests that sugary drinks are linked to hypertension.
Researchers “analyzed data from 2, 696 middle-aged adults in the US and UK.”
CNN /Health.com reports that the investigators found that “each additional soda, lemonade, or fruit drink the study participants consumed on a daily basis was associated with a small but measurable uptick in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 1.6 and 0.8 points, respectively.”
HealthDay reported that “those drinking more than one sugar-sweetened beverage a day also registered higher average body-mass indexes (BMI) compared with those who drank none, suggesting that those who consumed such drinks also consumed less healthy food.”
If you’d like to help your family make wiser and more highly healthy nutrition choices, consider ordering a copy of my book SuperSized Kids: How to protect your child from the obesity threat, which is available and on sale in hardcover for $3.99 and in softcover for $1.99.