How to age well: limit sugary drinks to one a week to avoid weight and fat gain, and prevent killer diseases, study suggests

Each extra sugary drink consumed per week increases the odds of you being affected by diabetes, gout, obesity, heart disease and depression

Links between high sugar consumption and cancers, including those of the breast, prostate and pancreas, are suspected, although more research is needed

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Reduce your risk of cancer, diabetes, depression, heart disease, obesity and gout by limiting sugary drinks to one a week, say the authors of a new study of the impact of sugar consumption. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:15pm, 19 Apr 2023Updated: 5:09pm, 19 Apr 2023

People should have only one sugary drink a week, researchers say, after a study linked high levels of sugar consumption to a wide range of health conditions, including cancer.

For each extra sugary drink consumed per week, people can increase their odds of suffering a number of conditions, the authors said.

High sugar consumption is “generally more harmful than beneficial for health”.

The authors also called for more research into the links between high sugar consumption and cancer, after the study suggested a link between the two.

A study linked high sugar consumption – such as from sugar-laden drinks – to a wide range of diseases, from diabetes and depression to heart disease and cancer. Photo: Shutterstock

Academics in China and the United States conducted an “umbrella review” on the health impacts of sugar intake.

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