Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco have found a link between drinking soda and premature aging. The results of the study are published in the journal of the American Public Health Association.
Experts examined data on the well-being of 5309 people aged 20-65 years. As it turns out, people who often drink sugary soda have shorter telomeres – DNA regions associated with an increased risk of chronic disease and a shorter lifespan.
Soda not only increases the risk of developing chronic diseases, but also shortens life, said one of the study authors, professor of psychiatry Elissa Epel. She noted that telomere shortening begins long before the onset of a chronic illness.
Epel added that even though the study involved only adults, the results extend to children.
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