Forget fries... would you like a side of death with that soda?
A new study  suggests that the consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages may contribute to hundreds of thousands of obesity-related deaths around the world.
The results, which are being presented at an American Heart Association conference this week, link sugar-sweetened beverage consumption to 180,000 deaths annually, including 25,000 deaths a year in the United States.
"This means about one in every 100 deaths from obesity-related diseases is caused by drinking sugary beverages," says study author Gitanjali Singh, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Of the 15 most populated countries, Mexico had the highest rate of death linked to the beverages at 318 yearly deaths per million adults, and Japan had the lowest at 10 yearly deaths per million adults.
Earlier studies have already shown that drinking sugar-sweetened beverages increases the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The latest research highlights the dire extent of this problem.
Did you know that the American Heart Association recommends adults consume no more than 450 calories per week from sugar-sweetened beverages? (Based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet.)
To put that in perspective - a single can of Coca Cola contains 240 calories and a 32 oz fountain Pepsi has 350 calories.
How many times a day do you drink a soda or other sugary beverage?