Life isn’t so ‘sweet’
Many of us have a sweet tooth, however new research warns older adults of the potential dangers of sweetened beverages. The American study’s findings reveal drinking sweet beverages, such as fizzy drinks, may increase the risk of depression in older adults.
Many of us have a sweet tooth, however new research warns older adults of the potential dangers of sweetened beverages.
The American study’s findings reveal drinking sweet beverages, such as fizzy drinks, may increase the risk of depression in older adults, while coffee slightly lowers the chances.
Dr Honglei Chen, study author and researcher at the National Institute of Health in North Carolina, said these sweetened beverages may have some “important mental health consequences”.
Dr Chen’s new study looked at data from 263,925 people between the ages of 50 and 71 years that were first collected from 1995 to 1996. Fizzy drinks, tea, fruit punch and coffee consumption was recorded for all participants, then researchers followed up about a decade later and asked the participants if they had been diagnosed with depression since 2000.
Out of all the subjects, 11,311 had been diagnosed with depression in that time frame. It was discovered that people who drank more than four cans or cups of soda per day were 30% more likely to be depressed than those who did not drink sweetened drinks.
Surprisingly, diet drinkers had a higher chance of being diagnosed than their counterparts who drank the regular versions of fizzy drinks, fruit punch and iced tea respectively.
Coffee drinkers who consumed four or more cups of coffee a day had a 10% lower chance of having depression.
“Our research suggests that cutting out or down on sweetened diet drinks, or replacing them with unsweetened coffee, may naturally help lower your depression risk,” Dr Chen said.
However, some doctors remain sceptical that a connection between drinking sugary drinks and becoming depressed exists.
Dr Kenneth Heilman, professor of neurology at the University of Florida, claimed studies like these do not show a “cause and effect”, so telling people to cut down on drinking sweetened beverages may not affect depression levels at all.
The study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego in March.
