Sugary drinks 'harmful'

HAVING two sugary drinks a day can cause significant damage to a healthy body in just three weeks, according to new research.

Scientists found that volunteers who drank the equivalent of two cans of fizzy drinks a day experienced changes that increased their chances of developing diabetes and heart disease.

Tests revealed that their blood sugar levels rose, putting them at greater risk of diabetes, and they had higher levels of a chemical called C-reactive protein, which has been linked with inflammation in blood vessels.

Drinking moderate amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages was also found to trigger a potentially dangerous change in their cholesterol.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest consuming sugary drinks in relatively small amounts may be enough to do lasting damage.