People around the world drink about 180 billion liters of soda a year. That translates to more than 29 liters per person. Experts say the amount of carbonated soft drinks we consume(消费) is growing. New research from the American Heart Association finds that drinking soda, even diet soda, may significantly increase your risk for heart disease. Dr. Ramachandran Vasan led the study. "Drinking just one or more sodas a day may not be as innocuous as people think."
In a large study of 9,000 people, doctors discovered that those who drank one or more sodas a day had a 30% increased risk for obesity(肥胖), a 25% increase in the risk for abnormal(非正常的) blood sugar levels, and a 32% increase in the odds of having low levels of good cholesterol(胆固醇).
All of these factors increase the risk for heart disease. And there was no difference in the results for those who drank diet soda over regular soda. It’s something that surprised even the researchers.
Critics of the study say diet soda may not be the cause of increased risk of heart disease. Connie Diekman is president of the American Dietetic Association. "It does not conclusively say that this will cause that."
In other words, it could be that unhealthy people like soda. Dr. Vasan found those who drink soda generally tend to have greater caloric intake. They eat more saturated fat and trans fats. They also eat less fiber and exercise less. Diet soda drinkers may also share this unhealthy lifestyle. Dr. Vasan agrees that the link he found between heart disease risk and diet soda needs additional study.
小题1: What does the underlined word “innocuous” in the first paragraph probably mean?
A．popular.
B．harmless.
C．effective.
D．risky.小题2: According to the study, which of the following is true?
A．Only people who overdrink sodas have high risk for heart disease.
B．In the study, about one quarter of people have high blood level.
C．Both regular and diet sodas can probably increase the risk for heart disease.
D．Dr. Vasan is the leader of the American Heart Association.小题3: What can be inferred from the passage above?
A．All the experts agree with the results of the study.
B．Sodas of any kind are certain to increase the risk for heart disease.
C．People have expected the results of the research.
D．More studies are needed to prove the results.小题4:How does the writer present the passage?
A．By comparing opinions.
B．By giving advice.
C．By showing facts.
D．By discussing information.
