Sugary soft drinks associated with higher visceral fat, according to new research

The Framingham Heart Study has linked daily sugary beverage consumption to increased visceral fat.

Visceral fat is a harmful form of body fat that is stored around the abdominal cavity, wrapping around internal organs, including the liver, pancreas and intestines. This fat type can also affect the way our hormones work, and also plays a significant role in insulin resistance, the researchers added.

Scientists from the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute said diet drinks had no impact on the levels of fat participants carried around their middle.

Data was used by the researchers from close to 1,000 adults in MA, who answered questions on food frequency related to drinking beverages that were sugar-sweetened and diet sodas.

“Our findings are in line with current dietary guidelines that suggest limiting the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages”, says Ma.

The findings come as the British Government comes under pressure to impose a tax on drinks which contain added sugar.

David Cameron has so far resisted the call from doctors and campaigners such as Jamie Oliver to introduce a levy, but is now said to be considering the measure in his childhood obesity strategy next month.

NHS England boss Simon Stevens warned that there was “absolutely no reason” for youngsters to have sugary drinks at all.

‘There is a steady drumbeat of evidence showing that sugar and obesity are not only causing cancer but a whole range of other health problems, ‘ he said.

Middle-aged adults who drink sugary beverages like soda and coke every day are likely to have higher amount of a particular type of body fat that may affect diabetes and heart disease risk, a new study has found.

The researchers found out that although all participants of the study gained visceral fat over a period of time, however, those people who drank such sugar-sweetened drinks and sodas on a daily basis gained more visceral fat.

The researchers conducted a follow-up investigation after six years and found increases in visceral fat volumes as follows: 658 cubic centimeters (40.15 cubic inches) for non-drinkers, 649 cubic centimeters (39.6 cubic inches) for occasional drinkers, 707 cubic centimeters (43.14 cubic inches) for frequent drinkers and 852 cubic centimeters (51.99 cubic inches) for daily drinkers.

Those who consumed sweet drinks at least once a week put on 707ml of visceral fat, 7 per cent more than those who abstained completely.

And on average, those men and women showed the greatest increase in visceral fat over the next six years. Majority of the participants said that they have a mix of sugary beverages and diet soda.

As expected, an increased sugary drink intake was associated with an overall increase in visceral adipose tissue volume, an increase that went as high as 27%.

According to the American Heart Association sugar-sweetened drinks are the largest contributor of added sugar intake in the United States.