Sugary drinks linked to higher risk of dying from heart disease

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Frequently drinking sugary beverages such as sodas and sports drinks may raise a person's risk of dying from heart disease, new research finds.

For the study, published in the March 18 issue of Circulation, researchers analyzed data from more than 118,000 health professionals over a period of more than three decades. After adjusting for other diet, health, and lifestyle factors, they found that the more sugary drinks people consumed, the higher their risk of dying from any cause — but especially cardiovascular disease. Compared with people who rarely drank sugar-sweetened beverages, those who drank two or more per day were about one-third more likely to die of heart disease or a stroke.

Popular sugar-sweetened beverages include sodas as well as fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened waters, and coffee and tea beverages with added sugars. On average, adults drink about 145 calories per day from these drinks.

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