Heart Doctor Reveals the One Popular Drink He Calls “Liquid Death” — and It’s Not Alcohol
For years, when people have been warned about drinks that can damage their health, alcohol has usually been near the top of the list. But one heart surgeon has turned attention toward a beverage that millions of people consume without giving it a second thought.
Dr. Jeremy London, a board-certified general, vascular and thoracic surgeon, recently described soft drinks and other fizzy, sugar-sweetened beverages as “liquid death.” The dramatic phrase quickly attracted attention online because the drink he was talking about contains no alcohol at all. kaylestore.net+1
His message was blunt: cutting back on sugary drinks could be one of the simplest changes a person makes for better long-term health.
But what is actually behind the warning? Is a can of soda really as dangerous as the headline suggests? And what happens inside the body when a sugary drink becomes a daily habit?
The answer is more complicated — and more interesting — than the viral phrase.
The drink hiding in plain sight
Think about a typical trip to the supermarket.
There are shelves filled with brightly colored bottles and cans. Cola, lemonade, sweetened iced tea, fruit drinks, sports drinks and energy drinks all compete for attention.
Many are marketed as refreshing, energizing or even suitable for an active lifestyle.
The problem, according to health authorities, is that many of these drinks deliver a surprisingly large amount of added sugar in liquid form.
The CDC says sugary drinks are a leading source of added sugars in the U.S. diet and include regular soda, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks and sweetened waters. Frequent consumption is associated with weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay and other health problems. CDC+1
And because the sugar is dissolved in a drink, it can be remarkably easy to consume.
You may not feel as though you have eaten anything substantial.
You simply take a few sips.
Then another.
And before you know it, the entire bottle is gone.
Why does a heart surgeon care so much about sugar?
The heart doesn't operate independently from the rest of the body.
Blood pressure, blood sugar, body weight, cholesterol, triglycerides and metabolic health all interact with cardiovascular health.
That is why a diet that repeatedly pushes the body toward excess calories and high blood sugar can eventually become a cardiovascular concern.
The American Heart Association says research links regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages with increased cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes risk. www.heart.org
One reason is that sugary drinks can deliver large quantities of sugar without providing much nutritional value or the same feeling of fullness that can come from eating whole foods.
A person can therefore consume hundreds of extra calories through beverages without necessarily feeling as though they have eaten an additional meal.
Over time, that matters.
The sugar problem is bigger than one can of soda
The problem isn't necessarily one occasional soft drink.
Having a soda at a birthday party or enjoying a sweet drink once in a while is very different from drinking several sugary beverages every day.
The bigger concern is habitual consumption.
Imagine someone drinks one large sugary beverage every afternoon.
It becomes routine.
Monday.
Tuesday.
Wednesday.
A stressful day at work.
A long drive.
A meal at a restaurant.
A quick drink from the refrigerator.
None of these individual moments necessarily feels significant.
But repeated over months and years, the extra sugar and calories can add up.
The CDC specifically notes that frequently drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with several adverse health outcomes, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. CDC
