Sugary Drinks May Increase Heart Risks In Women By 20 Percent: Study

All the ladies out there, did you know even one sugary drink a day may increase the risk of heart-related disease? A new study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, stated so. As per the research, women drinking one or more caloric soft drink, sweetened bottled water or tea and sugar-added fruit drink daily are 20 percent more likely to have cardiovascular disease compared to those who rarely or never drink those beverages. However, the study was observational and had no proof of its cause and effect.

The study, conducted on more than 106,000 women, with an average age of 52, found that women who drank the sugary beverages daily were associated with a 26 percent higher likelihood of needing a revascularisation procedure (for example, angioplasty to open clogged arteries) and a 21 percent higher likelihood of having a stroke compared to women who rarely or never drank sugary beverages.

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“Although the study is observational and does not prove cause and effect, we hypothesise that sugar may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases in several ways. It raises glucose levels and insulin concentrations in the blood, which may increase appetite and lead to obesity, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease,” said lead study author Cheryl Anderson, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.S., professor and interim chair of Family and Public Health, University of California San Diego, and chair of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee, as per a report in ANI.

“In addition, too much sugar in the blood is associated with oxidative stress and inflammation, insulin resistance, unhealthy cholesterol profiles and type 2 diabetes, conditions that are strongly linked to the development of atherosclerosis, the slow narrowing of the arteries that underlies most cardiovascular disease,” said Anderson.

Although the study was observational, as per the American Heart Association’s recommendation, most of the women should limit their added sugar intake within 100 calories a day, which is equal to 6 teaspoons of sugar. On the other hand, most of the men should limit themselves to 150 calories a day, which is equal to 9 teaspoons of sugar.