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Are Sugar-Sweetened Beverages All That Bad? Here's What New Research Says

Author:

Hannah Frye

February 19, 2024

Assistant Beauty & Health Editor

By Hannah Frye

Assistant Beauty & Health Editor

Hannah Frye is the Assistant Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including health, wellness, sustainability, personal development, and more.

Image by Boris Jovanovic / Stocksy

February 19, 2024

If you're the type of person who has three beverages on their desk at all times, listen up: A new meta-analysis compared how six different types of popular drinks impact cardiovascular health and mortality risk. The findings could influence your go-to bev lineup, so let's dive in.

How popular drinks impact cardiovascular health

A new meta-analysis published in the journal American Society for Nutrition analyzed 20 different clinical studies to find the cardiovascular risks associated with six different beverages:

Tea
Coffee
Fruit juice
Energy drinks
Alcohol
Sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverage

They found that long-term consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and alcohol increased the risk of cardiovascular mortality for both males and females.

Researchers were unable to determine the cardiovascular risk of fruit juices (which tend to be high in natural sugar) and energy drinks due to a lack of substantial data.

Still, previous research suggests energy drinks may be associated with cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, and myocardial ischemia 1 (low blood flow, which can lead to blocked arteries). So it's fairly certain to say that energy drinks should probably be on the list of less-frequent consumption, even if there wasn't quite enough data to meta-analyze their impact on heart health in this review.

Why is sugar bad for the heart?

Sugar can raise your blood pressure, which leads to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, heart disease, and more. In moderation and when accompanied by an otherwise healthy diet, sugar isn't going to automatically raise your BP. In short, it's something you should be mindful of for the sake of cardiovascular health.

Interestingly, another research study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition around the same time investigated whether physical activity could combat the effects of sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages 2 on cardiovascular disease.

In this study, comprised of 100,000 adults, those who drank SSBs more than twice a week had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, regardless of recommended levels of physical activity.

Now, don't get it twisted—exercise is great for the heart. However, this study suggests it may not fully diminish the negative effects of excessive sugary drinks, serving as another reason to be mindful of sugar intake.

Neither of these studies included the impact of the occasional sugar-sweetened beverage, so don't go overboard with restriction. Instead, just be mindful of how much sugar is in the drinks you're reaching for daily.

What to reach for instead

So, if you are that person who keeps a roundtable of beverages at all times, consider picking something lower in sugar when possible and saving those SSBs for special occasions. Below, a list of some A+ options to help inspire your next beverage break:

Coffee (which was found to be heart-healthy in this new study)
Herbal tea (which was found to be heart-healthy in this new study)
Low-sugar kombucha
Smoothies that contain fiber, protein, and healthy fats
Healthy hot cocoa (our favorite recipe here)
Coconut water

Reminder: When in doubt, check the label

Prepackaged coconut water, coffee drinks, and fruit juices can have heaps of hidden added sugar even if the packaging is covered in buzzwords like "natural" or "healthy." If you want to be sure to consume low-sugar drinks, always check the label. Aim to keep your daily intake of added sugars under 5 teaspoons (20 grams).

The takeaway

A new meta-analysis review study found that long-term sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption increased the risk of cardiovascular mortality for both males and females. While this is important to note for daily habits, it's not an end-all-be-all discussion for the occasional sugar-sweetened beverage. After all, life is all about balance. If you feel a sugar craving coming on but want to skip the sweet drinks, these foods may help.