Search Weight Loss Topics:




Mar 31

Study: Diet, Sugary Drinks Linked to Atrial Fibrillation Risk – Health.com

Diet Comments Off on Study: Diet, Sugary Drinks Linked to Atrial Fibrillation Risk – Health.com

People who frequently drink beverages made with sugar or artificial sweeteners could carry a higher risk of a potentially dangerous heart condition, new research shows.

The findings come from a study, published March 5 in the American Heart Associations journal Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, which found a link between these sweetened beverages and atrial fibrillation (A-Fib), an irregular heart rhythm that can increase a persons risk of stroke and heart failure.

People who frequently drank artificially sweetened drinks, like those containing sucralose or aspartame, had a 20% higher risk of A-Fib compared to those who didnt consume any such beverages. Those who drank beverages made with sugar had a 10% higher risk.

Meanwhile, people who said they occasionally drank pure fruit juiceless than one liter a weekhad an 8% lower risk of A-Fib.

Our studys findings cannot definitively conclude that one beverage poses more health risk than another due to the complexity of our diets and because some people may drink more than one type of beverage, lead study author Ningjian Wang, MD, PhD, a researcher at the Shanghai Ninth Peoples Hospital and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China, said in a press release.

However, based on these findings, we recommend that people reduce or even avoid artificially sweetened and sugar-sweetened beverages whenever possible, Wang added. Do not take it for granted that drinking low-sugar and low-calorie artificially sweetened beverages is healthy, it may pose potential health risks.

Heres what you need to know about the new research, and how it might influence your beverage choices.

seksan Mongkhonkhamsao / Getty Images

For the study, Wang and his Shanghai-based team of researchers reviewed answers from dietary questionnaires and genetic data from more than 200,000 adults enrolled in the U.K. Biobank, a large biomedical database and research resource.

At the time participants enrolled in the research, between 2006 and 2010, they were free from A-Fib. But over the course of a 10-year follow-up period, 9,362 cases of A-Fib were diagnosed.

After analyzing and comparing sweetened beverage choices among participants, researchers found that both sugar- and artificially sweetened drinks were associated with an increased risk of A-Fib.

People who drank at least two liters of artificially sweetened beverages each weekcomparable to about six 12-ounce canshad a 20% higher risk of A-Fib, compared to people who didnt consume any sweetened drinks. For people who drank the same amount of sugar-sweetened beverages each week, their A-Fib risk was 10% higher.

Researchers looked at fruit juice intake too, but participants who drank one liter or less of pure fruit juice each week had an 8% lower risk of A-Fib.

Other factors were also considered in A-Fib risk: Researchers found that drinking more than 2 liters of artificially sweetened drinks per week resulted in a high A-Fib risk regardless of genetic susceptibility to the condition, However, when smoking was paired with sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, participants saw a 31% higher risk of A-Fib.

These novel findings on the relationships among atrial fibrillation risk and sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages and pure juice may prompt the development of new prevention strategies by considering decreasing sweetened drinks to help improve heart health, Wang said.

Although there is robust evidence linking sugar-sweetened beverages to cardiovascular disease risk, less is known about the heart effects of artificial sweeteners, American Heart Association committee member Penny M. Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, said in the press release.

This is the first study to report an association between no- and low-calorie sweeteners and also sugar-sweetened beverages and increased risk of atrial fibrillation, said Kris-Etherton, who is also an emeritus professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University.

Because this study only shows an association between sweetened beverages and A-Fib, the true heart risks of drinking these beverages are still unclear. However, there are several possible explanations, including insulin resistance and the bodys response to different sweeteners, Wang said.

According to Henri Roukoz, MD, cardiologist and chief of electrophysiology at the University of Minnesota medical school, people who drink sugar-sweetened beverages tend to have a higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and other health concerns. Among others, obesity and diabetes are also known risk factors for A-Fib.

Regarding artificially sweetened drinks, Roukoz said the diets of those consumers may be putting them at an increased risk of A-Fibnot the drinks themselves. Patients who tend to consume more beverages that are artificially sweetened, in general, tend to also eat more. They eat also less quality food, said Roukoz. That predisposes you to all these other factors that increase your cardiovascular risk.

The diet theory may also matter for fruit juice drinkers. Patients who actually are careful enough to avoid artificial sweeteners, said Roukoz, and careful enough to consume small amounts of [fruit juice], are probably also watching their diet.

Every person could benefit from cutting back on sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages. But while the studys results are intriguing and may pave the way for additional research on A-Fib risk and sweetened beverages, it still had its share of limitations.

The study was observational and relied on participants recalling their own diets, which can lead to less accurate results. The caffeine content of the drinks is also unknown, as were the specific types of artificial sweeteners used in the beverages consumed.

Use of data from the U.K. Biobankwhile robustis also not a perfect match for a more diverse U.S. population, meaning that the same study conducted here could yield different results, said Roukoz. In the U.S., for example, A-Fib is more common in white Americansbut African American and Mexican American adults are more likely to drink sugar-sweetened beverages.

Its important too that these findings dont overshadow more concrete A-Fib risk factors, like having sleep apnea or diabetes, or not following a nutritious diet, said Roukoz.

Still, water is the best choice, and, based on this study, no- and low-calorie sweetened beverages should be limited or avoided. Kris-Etherton said.

Roukoz agrees: It is prudent to consume [sweetened] products in moderation. Below two liters per weekit wouldnt hurt to do that.

See original here:
Study: Diet, Sugary Drinks Linked to Atrial Fibrillation Risk - Health.com

Related Posts

    Your Full Name

    Your Email

    Your Phone Number

    Select your age (30+ only)

    Select Your US State

    Program Choice

    Confirm over 30 years old

    Yes

    Confirm that you resident in USA

    Yes

    This is a Serious Inquiry

    Yes

    Message:



    matomo tracker