The negative health effects of soda are emerging day by day.
According to a new study from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, soda might reportedly be contributing to the aging process of those who drink the beverage as well.
Those who regularly drink soda were reportedly found to have shorter telomeres, protective caps of DNA that cover chromosomes within cells, than those who did not, according to the media outlet Tech Times. For this study, researchers reportedly examined records and DNA samples of 5,309 American adults between the ages of 20 and 65.
Investigators reportedly found that subjects who regularly drink carbonated beverages showed shorter lengths of telomere than normal while non-carbonated sugar-sweetened beverages had no significant effect.
"This is the first demonstration that soda is associated with telomere shortness. This finding held regardless of age, race, income and education level. Telomere shortening starts long before disease onset. Further, although we only studied adults here, it is possible that soda consumption is associated with telomere shortening in children as well," stated Elissa Epel, professor of psychiatry at USF and lead author of a journal article announcing the results of the study.
According to UPI, study author Cindy Leung, a researcher at the university's Center for Health and Community, added, "It is critical to understand both dietary factors that may shorten telomeres, as well as dietary factors that may length telomeres. Here is appeared that the only beverage consumption that had a measurable negative association with telomere length was consumption of sugared soda."
The recently found health effect of soda can reportedly lead to a number of other issues, including increased risk for heart disease, some forms of cancer, and diabetes, as well as insulin resistance.
The health effects of soda, including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, are reportedly already well known among the public, but the process where cells are made to age faster and replicate less is quite shocking.
"This finding is alarming because it suggest that soda may be aging us, in ways we are not even aware of," stated Epel.
