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Daily consumption of sweetened beverages increases risk of heart disease by 20%
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Soft drinks with added sugar can be dangerous to health, scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health (USA) warn the world.
For 22 years, they closely followed 42,883 men aged 40 to 75 (all subjects worked in health-care organizations). Every two years from January 1986 until September 2008, the participants filled out questionnaires about their diet and other aspects of their lifestyle. Halfway through the study, everyone gave a blood test.
The results showed that those who drank 340 grams of sugar-sweetened beverages a day were 20% more likely to develop heart disease than those who drank none of it. Interestingly, this figure did not change even when other risk factors such as smoking, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, and a family history of heart disease were controlled for. Less frequent consumption of sugary drinks – twice a week and twice a month – did not increase the risk of developing the disease.
The researchers also measured the subjects' blood levels of lipids and proteins that are biomarkers of heart disease, including the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein, triglycerides and healthy lipids known as high-density lipoproteins.
Compared with those who did not drink sugary drinks, those who drank soda and other similar drinks had higher levels of triglycerides and C-reactive protein in their blood, but lower levels of high-density lipoprotein. At the same time, drinks with sugar substitutes did not affect the risk or concentration of biomarkers for heart disease.