Study finds that eating sweets occasionally may be good for your heart health, but sugary soft drinks are a no-no
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Even though we know that excessive sugar intake is bad for our health, there are probably many people who can't stop themselves from treating themselves to sweet treats. Good news for those with a sweet tooth: a Swedish study has found that people who eat sweets once or twice a week may have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Frontiers | Added sugar intake and its associations with incidence of seven different cardiovascular diseases in 69,705 Swedish men and women
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1452085/full
Sugary drinks significantly raise cardiovascular disease risk, but occasional sweet treats don't, scientists find
https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2024/12/09/sugary-drinks-raise-cardiovascular-disease-risk-frontiers-public-health
Sugar is known to damage blood vessels throughout the body, with previous studies showing that regular consumption of sugary soft drinks increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Drinking sugary soft drinks twice a week increases risk of cardiovascular disease even if you exercise - GIGAZINE
However, even when we say 'sugar,' consumption patterns and overall calorie intake vary depending on whether it is sugar-sweetened soft drinks, snacks, or food seasoning. Similarly, cardiovascular disease is a concept that encompasses a variety of illnesses, including stroke and heart failure.
To better understand how different sugar intake patterns affect health, a team of researchers from Lund University in Sweden and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark analysed the records of 69,705 men and women aged 45 to 83 years from the Swedish public health database.
The research team first categorised the participants' sugar intake, based on questionnaires they took in 1997 and 2009, into three categories: 'sweet drinks' such as carbonated drinks, 'sweet snacks' such as ice cream and chocolate, and 'toppings' such as honey and jam.
They then looked for associations with seven types of cardiovascular disease that participants had been diagnosed with by December 31, 2019: ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and aortic valve stenosis.
The study found that of the three types of sugar intake, drinks were the least healthy, with people who consumed sugary drinks eight or more times a week having a 19% increased risk of ischemic stroke, an 18% increased risk of heart failure, an 11% increased risk of atrial fibrillation, and a 31% increased risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Regarding why sugary drinks may lead to heart problems, Susanne Jantge of Lund University and corresponding author of the paper said, 'The liquid sugars in sweet drinks make us feel less full than solid sugars, which can lead to overconsumption. Context is also important: sweets are eaten in social situations or on special occasions, whereas sweet drinks tend to be consumed on a daily basis.'
The impact of sugar intake varied depending on the type of cardiovascular disease; for example, use as a topping was associated with an increased risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm, but interestingly was negatively associated with the risk of heart failure and aortic stenosis.
Furthermore, while sweets were negatively associated with all cardiovascular diseases, those at highest risk were those who ate snacks less than twice a week.
This study was conducted on Swedes, so the results are likely influenced by Swedish diet and lifestyle. For example, Sweden has a social custom called ' fika ,' where people often gather with family or colleagues to eat coffee and sweet treats such as pastries .
Other past studies have found that coffee reduces the risk of heart failure, so it may be the coffee that Swedes often drink with their sweets, rather than sugar, that's good for heart health.
Drinking coffee reduces risk of heart failure - research results
In addition, this study did not clarify the mechanism by which sugar intake affected the risk of cardiovascular disease, so it is possible that the results were influenced by people diagnosed with heart disease refraining from eating sweets.
Taking these points into consideration, Dr. Jange said, 'Although our observational study cannot prove causation, the findings suggest that extremely low sugar intake may not be beneficial for heart and vascular health, and that extreme sugar restriction may not be necessary.'
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