Hearing that drinking sugar-sweetened sodas is bad for your health isn’t anything you haven’t heard before. However, did you know that even drinking artificially sweetened sodas may be bad for your health, too? A new study conducted by researchers in Europe showed a link between drinking both sugary sodas and artificially sweetened sodas and dying sooner.
How Drinking Soda May Shorten Seniors’ Lives
The study’s senior author was Neil Murphy who is a scientist with the International Agency for Research on Cancer, located in Lyon, France. The study involved in excess of 451,000 people living in 10 different countries in Europe. The average age of the participants was 51. The scientists followed up on the health of the participants for an average of 16 years.
The results of the study showed that regardless of whether the participants drank diet or regular soda, their risk of dying was increased if they drank more than two per day.
In addition, they found:
- Drinking more than one soda per day as opposed to less than one per month increased the risk of dying from colon cancer or Parkinson’s disease.
- Drinking more than one sugar sweetened soda daily increased the risk of dying from digestive diseases.
- Drinking more than one artificially sweetened soda daily increased the risk of dying from circulatory diseases.
The reason for increased death rates among those who drank sugary sodas seems clear to the researchers. Sugary drinks increase the risk of obesity, which is a risk factor for many different diseases. However, they aren’t sure what might be behind the greater death rate for artificially sweetened sodas.
How to Get Seniors to Drink More Water
While drinking a soda once in a while may not be harmful, if your aging relative drinks soda on a regular basis, it may be a good idea to encourage them to drink more water every day.
Some ways to get older adults to drink water are:
Make Water Accessible: Just keeping a glass or bottle of fresh water near your elderly family member may encourage them to drink more.
Try Infused Water: Slice up some fruit or cucumbers and put them in a pitcher with cold water. They will give the water a little flavor and make it more interesting.
Offer Hot Water: Some older adults prefer warm beverages. Try offering a glass of warm or hot water with a little lemon and/or honey.
Elderly care can ensure your older family member drinks more water, which will prevent dehydration. An elderly care provider can place a glass or bottle of water near them and remind them to drink it. They can also refill the water throughout the day. Elderly care providers can also prepare other beverages, including infused water and hot water with lemon.
Sources: https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20190903/once-again-soda-tied-to-higher-risk-of-early-death#1
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