A recent study has uncovered an intriguing relationship between sugar consumption and cardiovascular disease risk.
While eating sugary treats in moderation might actually lower your risk of heart-related issues, consuming sugary drinks appears to have the opposite effect, raising the likelihood of conditions like stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation.
The research, conducted by scientists at Lund University in Sweden and published in Frontiers in Public Health, suggests that not all sugars are created equal.
Suzanne Janzi, a Ph.D. candidate and lead author of the study, emphasizes that it’s not just how much sugar you eat, but where that sugar comes from, that matters.
To explore the impact of sugar on heart health, researchers analyzed data from two large Swedish studies: the Swedish Mammography Cohort and the Cohort of Swedish Men.
These studies included dietary surveys collected in 1997 and 2009, tracking participants’ sugar intake across three categories: sugary toppings (like honey), sweetened beverages (such as sodas), and sugary treats (like pastries).
The participants, totaling 69,705 people, were monitored for nearly two decades, with researchers looking for connections between their sugar consumption and the risk of seven cardiovascular diseases, including strokes, heart attacks, and aortic aneurysms.
During the follow-up period, 25,739 participants were diagnosed with one of these cardiovascular conditions.
The results were clear: sugary drinks posed the greatest risk. Regularly consuming sweetened beverages significantly increased the likelihood of ischemic stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and abdominal aortic aneurysms.
The researchers attribute this to the way liquid sugars affect the body. Unlike solid sugars found in treats, sugary drinks don’t make you feel as full, which can lead to overeating and, over time, greater health risks.
Interestingly, the study also found that completely avoiding sugary treats wasn’t necessarily better for your heart. People who occasionally indulged in sweets had a lower risk of heart disease than those who avoided them entirely.
This could be because individuals with very restrictive diets might already have underlying health issues or be avoiding sugar due to existing medical conditions. Treats, often enjoyed in social or celebratory settings, may also carry psychological or social benefits that contribute to overall well-being.
Still, the findings come with a caveat. The study is observational, meaning it can’t prove cause and effect. It also focuses on a Swedish population, where cultural habits like “fika” (regular coffee and pastry breaks) are common.
These traditions may influence the study’s outcomes, and the results might not apply universally to populations with different dietary habits.
The researchers emphasize that more work is needed to fully understand how different types of sugar affect heart health. They also note that while sugary drinks should be consumed sparingly, moderate enjoyment of sweets in the context of a balanced diet could be part of a heart-healthy lifestyle.
Ultimately, the study highlights the importance of context when it comes to sugar. Cutting out all sugar may not be necessary, but making smart choices—like swapping sugary drinks for water and enjoying an occasional treat—could help keep your heart healthier in the long run.
If you care about health, please read studies about the benefits of low-dose lithium supplements, and what we know about egg intake and heart disease.
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The research findings can be found in Frontiers in Public Health.
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