Most people are aware that consuming too much sugar is not good for our health. A new study from Sweden suggests that not all sweet foods are equivalent, though. Occasional sweet treats like pastries don’t appear to be as damaging as sugar-sweetened beverages (Frontiers in Public Health, Dec. 9, 2024).
What Happened to People Who Drank Sugar-Sweetened Beverages?
The researchers had data from two large groups of people: The Swedish Mammography Cohort and the Cohort of Swedish Men. These people completed detailed dietary questionnaires in 1997 and 2009 respectively.
Scientists collected more than a decade of data on almost 70,000 participants. They divided sugar consumption into three different categories: sweet treats, sugary toppings and sugar-sweetened beverages.
The Outcome Was Discouraging:
Nearly 26,000 people developed cardiovascular disease during the follow-up. Those who regularly consumed sweetened drinks were at the highest risk for heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke and aortic aneurysm. There was something of a dose response curve. That is to say, more sugar was worse for the cardiovascular system. People consuming more than eight servings a week appeared to increase their chance of a stroke by 19% and their likelihood of heart failure by 18%. They also were at an 11% greater risk of atrial fibrillation and a 31% higher risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Artificially sweetened beverages also increased the risk for stroke and heart failure. In this observational study, people who ate the fewest sweet treats and the least sugar actually had the highest risk for cardiovascular problems. Perhaps people with ill health overall are more careful about limiting sugar consumption, but the study does not provide that information. The authors do note a probable link between consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and lower dietary quality overall.
The good news is that people who enjoyed an occasional treat were not at increased risk, so it’s not necessary to avoid all sugar in order to stay healthy.
This is not the first study to point an accusing finger at sugar. Here is a link to a post describing the risk for diabetes among people drinking more sugar-sweetened beverages.
