Can fizzy drinks and fruit juice increase stroke risk? New study finds links

If you enjoy a glass of fruit juice with your breakfast or a fizzy drink after dinner, it might be time to consider pumping the brakes.

A new study suggests such drinks may be linked to a higher likelihood of strokes.

Frequent drinking of fizzy drinks or fruit juice was associated with an increased risk of stroke, according to new findings from global research studies co-led by University of Galway, in collaboration with McMaster University Canada and an international network of stroke researchers.

Coffee lovers, there’s bad news for you, too. The research also found that drinking more than four cups of coffee per day appears to increase the risk of stroke.

However, experts say those consumers fond of sparkling water can sip easy since this study refers specifically to sugary drinks.

“This really refers to the sugary drinks, the fizzy soft drinks. And interestingly, diet fizzy drinks as well,” said Manuel Arango, vice-president of policy and advocacy at the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

According to the report, it doesn’t matter if your fizzy drink of choice is sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened, such as diet or zero sugar drinks. Both kinds of drinks were linked with a 22-per cent increased chance of stroke. The risk increased sharply for anyone consuming two to three drinks a day.

“The problem of sugar substitutes is that it creates a societal craving for sugary things, which is not a good thing,” Arango said.

The research cautions against consuming fruit juice, too. It noted that many products marketed as “fruit juice” are made from concentrates and contain added sugars and preservatives, which may offset the benefits usually linked with fresh fruit.

Such drinks were linked to a 37 per cent increase in chance of strokes due to bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage). With two of these drinks a day, the risk triples.

The risk was higher among women, compared to men.

Arango said sugar in liquid form could have worse effects than sugar in solid form.

“When you overconsume liquid sugar or sugary drink, it’s harder to feel full and satiated. So it’s very a lot easier to overconsume liquid sugar.”

However, there is a way to offset some of the stroke risk – water. Drinking more than seven cups of water a day was linked to reduced odds of stroke caused by a clot.

“Not all fruit drinks are created equal – freshly squeezed fruit juices are most likely to bring benefits, but fruit drinks made from concentrates, with lots of added sugars and preservatives, may be harmful,” Dr. Andrew Smyth, professor of clinical epidemiology at University of Galway and consultant physician at Galway University Hospitals, said in a statement.

He added, “As a doctor and as someone who has researched the risk of stroke, we would encourage people to avoid or minimise their consumption of fizzy and fruit drinks, and to consider switching to water instead.”

But there’s good news if you’re thinking of switching over to tea.

Drinking tea was linked with a reduced chance of stroke by 18 to 20 per cent. Drinking three to four cups of black tea — such as English breakfast or Earl Grey — was linked to a 29-per cent lower chance of stroke.

If you consume three to four cups of green tea a day, it could lead to 27-per cent lower chance of stroke.

However, adding milk to the mix could mean you lose some of the advantages of tea. Adding milk may reduce or block the beneficial effects of antioxidants that can be found in tea, the report said.

Arango said the Heart and Stroke Foundation has a number of recommendations for the federal government.

“We need governments in Canada to introduce a sugary drinks tax to help reduce your consumption of sugary drinks,” he said.

“Another important mechanism to address unhealthy food and sugary drinks is restricting the marketing of those products to kids.”

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