Home / Health / Childhood Soda Habit Linked to Adult High Blood Pressure
Childhood Soda Habit Linked to Adult High Blood Pressure
24 Jul
Summary
- Childhood sugary drink consumption elevates future high blood pressure risk.
- Over two daily sugary drinks raise risk by 52% compared to few.
- Replacing one sugary drink daily with whole fruit lowers risk.
New research published in Circulation suggests that a childhood habit of consuming sugary drinks could lead to higher blood pressure in adulthood.
Individuals who drank more than two servings of sugary beverages daily faced a 52% increased risk of developing high blood pressure compared to those consuming less than three servings weekly.
Different types of sugary drinks showed varying risk levels: daily fizzy drinks were associated with a 23% higher risk, sports drinks with a 36% higher risk, and over 1.5 servings of fruit juice daily with a 35% higher risk.
The study, which tracked nearly 26,000 participants for up to 25 years, also found that swapping one daily sugary beverage for whole fruit could reduce high blood pressure risk by 22%.
Experts recommend limiting sugar-sweetened beverages like soda and sports drinks, and emphasizing whole fruits over juices. However, researchers caution that the findings, based on self-reported data, require further investigation.
