By Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Somewhere around 60% of kids drink at least one sugary beverage, such as soda, lemonade or an energy drink, every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That sets them up for serious health challenges down the road. Preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention -- Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Scientific Sessions 2024, indicates that when boys have one sugary drink a day, it is associated with a 36% increased risk of having insulin resistance, elevated fasting glucose levels and higher A1Cs (the measure of long-term glucose levels) when they are teens. That sets them up for Type 2 diabetes. Just think what two or three sweet beverages a day must do!
The researchers followed around 450 kids from their birth to their teens to track the impact of these sugary drinks. Although they didn't see the same association in girls, that doesn't mean sweetened beverages don't harm them, too. Other research links those sugar bombs to increased obesity, dental problems, insulin resistance, heart, kidney, and non-alcoholic liver diseases, tooth decay and gout, according to the CDC.
Help your kids get in the habit of enjoying water to quench their thirst and hydrate, and when they want a special beverage, check out the recipes for the Grape Escape and the Vitality Smoothie in Dr. Mike's "The What to Eat When Cookbook." And Mom and Dad, you want to dodge these sugar bombs, too. Check out the iHerb.com blog, "How to Properly Hydrate for Optimal Athletic Performance," to discover the smart way to quench your thirst.
Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's).
(c)2024 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2024 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
