Sugar Sweetened Beverages and Heart Disease

What You Drink May Increase Your Risk of a Heart Attack

Apr 13, 2009 Kristie Leong

Can drinking sugar sweetened beverages increase your risk of heart disease? According to a new study, you may want to reconsider what you drink with your meals.

Who doesn’t enjoy a cold glass of Classic Coke once in a while? An ice cold cup of sweet carbonation can be the perfect refreshment on a warm, summer afternoon; but according to a new study, it may be a good idea to keep sugar sweetened beverages to a minimum – especially if you’re worried about the health of your heart. All of that sweetness may increase the risk of developing heart disease, at least if you’re a woman.

The Study: Why Sugar Sweetened Beverages May Be Unhealthy

In this study which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers assessed the beverage drinking habits of 88,520 women between the ages of thirty-four and fifty-nine using special questionnaires. After following these women for a period of twenty-four years, they found that women who consumed two or more drinks sweetened with sugar each day had a thirty-five percent increased risk of developing heart disease.

The results of this study on sugar sweetened beverages and heart disease is particularly disturbing since heart disease is the number one killer of women in this country. Almost twice as many women die of heart disease as die of cancer. The good news is simple lifestyle changes, particularly changes in diet and exercise habits, can have a significant impact on the risk of developing this common disease. It’s interesting to note in this study that drinks sweetened with artificial, non-caloric sweeteners did not appear to increase the risk of heart disease.

Why Are Sugar Sweetened Beverages Associated With Heart Disease?

The exact mechanism isn’t known, but the researchers pointed out that fructose is commonly used to sweeten soft drinks which can increase triglyceride levels and elevate the risk of heart disease. Fructose also raises uric acid levels which have been correlated with a higher heart disease risk. The effect of fructose on triglyceride levels is even more pronounced in diabetics and those with metabolic syndrome.

What Are Your Options?

Sugar sweetened drinks have been increasingly under fire recently for causing a wide variety of health problems ranging from gout to obesity. As a result, many beverage manufacturers are rushing to come out with healthier alternatives with a lower sugar content.

If you’re concerned about the health effects of sugar sweetened beverages, you do have other options. Although you can find a variety of drinks sweetened with no-calorie, artificial sweeteners, these drinks have been criticized for creating a calorie mismatch and actually increasing the desire for carbohydrates. Tea, particularly green tea, is a good option and studies have shown that it may offer some heart healthy benefits as well as help control weight. Water sweetened with just a touch of natural fruit juice with no added sugar is also a good alternative to sugar sweetened drinks.

Next time you’re tempted to reach for that sweet can of soft drink, think about your heart and reach for the green tea instead.

Resources:

Am J Clin Nutr 89: 1037-1042, 2009. First published February 11, 2009; doi:10.3945/ajcn.2008.27140

The copyright of the article Sugar Sweetened Beverages and Heart Disease in Nutrition is owned by Kristie Leong. Permission to republish Sugar Sweetened Beverages and Heart Disease in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.