By Amy Norton TUESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- More than
180,000 deaths worldwide in 2010 were linked to a high intake of
sugar-laden drinks, a new study estimates, including 25,000
deaths in the United States. Most deaths occurred in middle- to
low-income countries, the Harvard researchers noted. The
findings are surprising because "we often think of this as a
problem only in high-income countries, like the U.S.," said lead
researcher Gitanjali Singh, a research fellow at Harvard School
of Public Health, in Boston. She said her findings, presented
Tuesday at an American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans,
point to a need for policies that curb people's sugary drink
intake. One such effort, in New York City, is currently in the
spotlight. Last week, a judge struck down Mayor Michael
Bloomberg's controversial limit on large sweetened sodas and
other sugary beverages, one day before the rule was to go into
effect. Bloomberg said he would appeal the decision and defended
his plan, which would have lim