(NaturalPath) Most kids in college and adults on the go want to grab that sugary drink to get them through the day. A study published in the journal Nutrients, out of Virginia Tech modeled the effect of replacing one 8-ounce sugar-sweetened beverage with an 8-ounce serving of water, based on the daily dietary intake of US adults aged 19 and older. They found that just replacing that one drink with water can reduce body weight and improve overall health.
“Regardless of how many servings of sugar-sweetened beverages you consume, replacing even just one serving can be of benefit,” said one researcher.
It is important to limit your intake of these sugary beverages like soda, energy drinks, and sweetened coffee as they can increase your risk of weight gain and obesity, as well as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
“We found that among U.S. adults who consume one serving of sugar-sweetened beverages per day, replacing that drink with water lowered the percent of calories coming from drinks from 17 to 11 percent,” said one researcher. “Even those who consumed more sugary drinks per day could still benefit from water replacement, dropping the amount of calories coming from beverages to less than 25 percent of their daily caloric intake.”
These sugary drinks are also associated with other unhealthy eating habits and replacing those drinks with water could help you live healthier.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.
