Sugary drinks increase heart attack, stroke risk

Sugar-sweetened drinks are loaded with calories that can increase your weight, but did you know that drinking them regularly can also increase your chances of having a heart attack or stroke?

A review of studies from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health looked at the risk of fructose, an added sugar that is mainly consumed in sugar-sweetened drinks, on heart health. The evidence they collected was surprising. One large study found that people who drank two or more servings of sweet beverages a day had a 35 percent higher risk of developing heart disease. And people who drank at least one serving each day had a 16 percent greater chance of stroke, compared to those who had none.

“These results do not surprise me at all,” says integrative medicine physician Robin Miller, MD. For one thing, sugar calories provide no nutrients and contribute to weight gain and even obesity. This alone puts you at a greater risk for heart problems.

But the fructose in sugary sodas adds additional problems. “For years we have known about the risks of fructose-sweetened drinks,” says Dr. Miller. "I urge all my patients to stop drinking them.”

Fructose is dangerous to the heart because of the way the body breaks it down it—in the liver. This can cause fatty liver disease (buildup of fat inside the liver which can cause liver damage over time), high triglyceride levels (fat in your blood) and insulin resistance (when the cells of your body do not take up sugar from your blood because they no longer respond well to the hormone insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels).

Excess sugar can also contribute to diabetes. The research showed that people who had one or two sweet drinks a day also had a 26 percent increased chance of developing diabetes.

Authors of the study also noted that carbonated sweet sodas aren’t the only drinks that contribute to heart, stroke and diabetes risk—so do all drinks with added sugar. This includes sports drinks, sweet teas and many fruit juices. It doesn’t include diet drinks containing artificial sweeteners, but those have their own concerns.

To keep your heart healthy, Miller says to stop drinking sugary sodas. “I usually advise the cold-turkey method,” she says. “It is better to just cut it out rather than taper it off.”

You could also lower your intake by a drink per day until you’re totally off it, and replace sugary drinks with water, Miller advises. To add some variety, “flavor the water with real fruit,” she says.