Almost half of adults surveyed drank at least one soda a day.
The last time you went to the doctor, were you asked how much soda you drink? Probably not, but at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, it’s now among the standard questions doctors will ask—and then log into the patient’s electronic health record. Those records, analyzed in a new study, reveal some interesting connections between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and a slew of health problems.
“Information about a patient’s diet and physical activity are vitally important in preventing and managing certain diseases, yet it’s rarely captured in medical records,” says Ross Kristal, first author on the paper and medical student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Kristal and his colleagues looked at how much sugar-sweetened soda people drank, how many vegetables and fruits they ate and how active they were, among other things and noticed a correlation between a person’s soda habit and other health factors.
I – Word Understanding
slew – a large number (of people or things)
correlation – the relationship between things that happen or change together
II – Have Your Say
A. How do you prepare for a doctors visit? What are most common questions you’ve been asked?
B. A curious patient is a healthy patient. Here are 10 questions doctors wish patients would ask:
1. I googled my symptoms, but what do you think?
2. What internet resources can I trust for medical information?
3. What should I work on before my next visit?
4. What can I do to prevent this from happening again?
5. Why am I taking this medication?
6. What do you do for your personal wellness?
7. How many patients like me have you treated?
8. Does my child really need an antibiotic for this?
9. What is the best way for me to lose weight?
10. When should I come see you again?
318 The Question Your Doctor Should Be Asking You — but Isn’t
