Swapping one sugary drink with water a day can keep the doctor away: Study

 A new study suggests that replacing water with a sugary drink per day has huge benefits to overall health. This study, conducted at Virginia Tech University emphasizes on reducing the use of beverages and aerated drinks.

The consumption of sugar added beverages like soda, canned juices, energy drinks and sweetened coffee add a toll to the calories you consume. The additional calories increase the risk of several diseases like hypertension, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

In the experiment, researchers observed the effect of replacing approx. 230ml of sugary beverages with a 230 ml serving of plain water. The data used was retrieved from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from the year 2007-2012. The individuals selected were aged 19 and above.

The data  showed that the one-for-one drink swap could reduce daily calories and the prevalence of obesity in populations that consume sugary beverages.

A reduction in daily calorie intake from sugary drinks also improves individual scores on the Healthy Beverage Index - a scoring system designed to evaluate individual beverage patterns and their relation to diet and health.

The higher score is related to better cholesterol levels, lowered risk of hypertension with lowered blood pressure in men. As per experts, drinks like coconut water and lemonade are healthy alternatives of soda one must try.

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