Children’s eating habits may shape their heart health decades later, according to a major new study.
Scientists found that people who regularly drank sugary beverages while growing up were more likely to develop high blood pressure as adults, while choosing whole fruit instead appeared to lower that risk.
The findings were published in Circulation by researchers from the University of Toronto and other institutions. The research followed thousands of children as they grew into adults, making it one of the longest studies to examine sugary drinks and blood pressure.
High blood pressure affects millions of people around the world and is sometimes called the silent killer because it often causes no warning signs. Left untreated, it can damage the heart, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels for many years before symptoms appear.
The study included more than 25,700 participants who entered the project between the ages of 9 and 16. Over the next 25 years they repeatedly completed food questionnaires describing how often they drank sugary beverages, fruit juice, water, milk, and how much whole fruit they ate.
When researchers compared the results, they found a clear pattern. Frequent sugary drink consumption was linked with a greater chance of later developing hypertension, even after taking overall diet quality, exercise, smoking, and body weight into account.
Fruit juice also showed an unexpected result. Although many people view it as a healthy drink, consuming large amounts was linked with higher blood pressure risk. The researchers noted that moderate amounts may still be reasonable, but whole fruit appears to be the healthier option.
When the team modeled dietary changes, replacing one sugary drink each day with water, milk, or whole fruit was associated with lower risk. Replacing fruit juice with whole fruit also appeared beneficial, suggesting that the form in which sugar is consumed matters.
The scientists explained that whole fruit contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds that work together to support health. Juice removes much of the fiber, allowing natural sugars to be absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream.
They also cautioned that the study cannot prove sugary drinks directly caused high blood pressure because it relied on questionnaires and self-reported diagnoses. Even so, the long follow-up period and large number of participants make the findings an important contribution to nutrition research.
This large long-term study suggests that regularly drinking sugary beverages from childhood may increase the risk of high blood pressure in adulthood, while replacing these drinks with whole fruit may be a healthier choice.
However, because the study was observational and relied on self-reported information, it cannot prove cause and effect. Future studies in more diverse populations are needed to confirm the findings. The results support current advice to limit sugary drinks and enjoy whole fruit instead.
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Source: American Heart Association.
