As we wrote the title for the blog today, we realize that it sounds far from insightful or revolutionary - in fact it sounds pretty obvious and intuitive.  BUT, now it is clinically proven and the study itself was interesting so we thought we'd spread the word.

The study, just published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, divided the participants into four groups (regular cola, diet cola, semi skim milk, and water). Each group consumed 1 liter of their designated beverage each day for 6 months.  And here are the astonishing results:

In the regular cola group, muscle fat increased 117%-221%, abdominal organ fat increased 24-31%, Triglycerides increased 32%, and total cholesterol increased 11%.  Both milk and diet cola reduced blood pressure by 10-15% compared with regular soda.  AND, get this, aside from that - diet cola had effects similar to water!

A key point here, well articulated by Dr. Frank Hu at Harvard School of Public Health is that "this study suggests that the adverse effects of sugary beverages go beyond just weight gain or fat it gain.  It's gaining of the wrong fat in the wrong places."

And what does he mean by this?  Well, this shows that regular cola consumption increases abdominal fat which is much more dangerous than subcutaneous fat (the stuff right under the skin).  In fact, these are the fat increases that most studies have shown to increase the risk of things like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and liver disease. 

At The Welcare Center we are here to help our patients look and feel fabulous!  This study shows us that regular cola consumption not only causes weight gain (as we have known from earlier studies) but is increasing the risk of long term illnesses.  So check the label before you drink that next beverage, and as always we're here to help you love the way you look.  Just give us a call...