Drinking sweetened soft drinks on regular basis linked to arthritis, says study

A new study, published in the Nutrition & Diabetes, has found that consumption of soft drinks that are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may be linked to arthritis in adults between 20-30 years old.

Although existing research has already suggested an association between high intake of HFCS-sweetened drinks and an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis in women, this new study looked specifically at HFCS beverages and non-age, non-wear-and-tear arthritis in young adults.

For the study, researchers looked at 1,209 adults between the ages of 20-30, and found that participants who consumed any combination of high excess-free fructose drinks, including HFCS-sweetened soft drinks, fruit drinks and apple juice, more than five times per week, were found to be three times as likely to have arthritis as non- or low consumers of these drinks.

The study reported that researchers believe that this could be due to the formation of enFruAGEs (advanced glycation end products produced by excess free fructose) in the intestines which, once absorbed, travel to other tissues in the body and promote inflammation.

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