Soda And Cell Aging: What Our Telomeres Tell Us About This Drink

Drinking soda tastes great, but it certainly isn't the healthiest choice. And recent findings published in the American Journal of Public Health reveal that besides increase the risk of obesity and other related health issues, in can also increase the risk of aging. 

"Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas might influence disease development, not only by straining the body's metabolic control of sugars, but also through accelerated cellular aging of tissues," said Dr. Elissa Epel, professor of psychiatry at UCSF and senior author of the study, in a news release. 

Researchers at the University of California, San Dieto examined the DNA of more than 5,300 adults between the ages of 20 and 65. All participants were considered healthy and did not have a history of diabetes or heart disease. They also all participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) more than a decade ago and their health was not monitored throughout the years. Yet researchers analyzed their length of telomeres.

They discovered that people who drank more soda typically had shorter telomeres. More specifically, adults who consumed one 20-ounce soda per day aged 4.6 years faster. Furthermore, the effect was even worse among those who smoked. 

Researchers concluded that though they only discovered a correlational and not a cause and effect relationship, more recent data could further reveal the dangers between soda and cell aging.

"We think we can get away with drinking lots of soda as long as we are not gaining weight, but this suggests that there is an invisible pathway that leads to accelerated aging, regardless of weight," concluded psychiatry professor Elissa Epel, senior author of the study, via CBS San Francisco.