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Sugar-sweetened drinks linked to increased risk of heart disease in men, study suggests

Date:
March 12, 2012
Source:
American Heart Association
Summary:
Men who drank one sugar-sweetened beverage a day had a 20 percent higher risk of heart disease compared to men who did not drink any sugar-sweetened drinks. Daily sugar-sweetened drink consumption was also linked to higher levels of harmful lipids in the blood and inflammation. Artificially sweetened beverages did not increase heart-disease risk in this study.
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Men who drank a 12-ounce sugar-sweetened beverage a day had a 20 percent higher risk of heart disease compared to men who didn't drink any sugar-sweetened drinks, according to research published in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal.

"This study adds to the growing evidence that sugary beverages are detrimental to cardiovascular health," said Frank B. Hu, M.D., Ph.D., study lead author and professor of nutrition and epidemiology in the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass. "Certainly, it provides strong justification for reducing sugary beverage consumption among patients, and more importantly, in the general population."

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Risk factors include obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, diabetes and poor diet.

Researchers, who studied 42,883 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, found that the increase persisted even after controlling for other risk factors, including smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol use and family history of heart disease. Less frequent consumption -- twice weekly and twice monthly -- didn't increase risk.

Researchers also measured different lipids and proteins in the blood, which are indicators, or biomarkers, for heart disease. These included the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP), harmful lipids called triglycerides and good lipids called high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Compared to non-drinkers, those who consumed sugary beverages daily had higher triglyceride and CRP and lower HDL levels.

Artificially sweetened beverages were not linked to increased risk or biomarkers for heart disease in this study.

Beginning in January 1986 and every two years until December 2008, participants answered questionnaires about diet and other health habits. They also provided a blood sample midway through the survey. Follow-up was 22 years.

Participants were primarily Caucasian men 40-75 years old. All were employed in a health-related profession.

Health habits of the men in the study may differ from those of the general public, but findings in women from the 2009 Nurses' Health Study were comparable, Hu said.

The American Heart Association recommends no more than half of discretionary calories come from added sugars . For most American men, that's no more than 150 calories per day and 100 for most American women. Discretionary calories are those left in your "energy allowance" after consuming the recommended types and amounts of foods to meet all daily nutrient requirements.

Co-authors are: Lawrence de Koning, Ph.D.; Vasanti S. Malik, Sc.D.; Mark D. Kellogg, Ph.D.; Eric B. Rimm, Sc.D.; and Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr.PH. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded the analysis and the National Institutes of Health funded the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.


Story Source:

Materials provided by American Heart Association. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Lawrence de Koning, Vasanti S. Malik, Mark D. Kellogg, Eric B. Rimm, Walter C. Willett, and Frank B. Hu. Sweetened Beverage Consumption, Incident Coronary Heart Disease and Biomarkers of Risk in Men. Circulation, March 12 2012 DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.067017

Cite This Page:

American Heart Association. "Sugar-sweetened drinks linked to increased risk of heart disease in men, study suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 March 2012. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120312162744.htm>.
American Heart Association. (2012, March 12). Sugar-sweetened drinks linked to increased risk of heart disease in men, study suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120312162744.htm
American Heart Association. "Sugar-sweetened drinks linked to increased risk of heart disease in men, study suggests." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120312162744.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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