Study provides additional evidence that sugary beverages increase risk for heart disease in women

Drinking one or more sugary beverages a day was associated with a nearly 20% greater likelihood of women having cardiovascular disease compared to women who rarely or never drank sugary beverages, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The work was partly funded NHLBI.

In this study, researchers analyzed data from the California Teachers Study, an ongoing study of over 130,000 women which began in 1995. The women, who have been followed for over 20 years, did not have a history of heart disease, stroke, or diabetes when they enrolled in the study. Compared to women who rarely or never consume sugary drinks, which include soft drinks and other beverages with added sugar, those who had one or more drinks per day had a 26% higher risk for a revascularization procedure or angioplasty to open clogged arteries. They were also at a 21% higher risk for experiencing stroke, the researchers said.

The findings are similar to another large health study by a different study group that linked consumption of sugary drinks to premature death due to heart disease—particularly for women. That study, also funded by NHLBI, was published in Circulation and highlighted in this NHLBI in the Press item.