Sweetened beverages linked to higher HF risk in men

Men who consumed two or more sweetened beverages each day had a 23% higher risk for HF, according to results of a large, prospective, population-based study.

Previous research demonstrated that sweetened beverage consumption affects BP, weight, insulin and glucose levels. Soft drink consumption, in particular, has been linked to an increased risk for CHD, diabetes and stroke.

Researchers for the new study followed 42,400 men from the Cohort of Swedish Men (COSM) aged 45 to 79 years. Mean follow-up was 11.7 years. A food-frequency questionnaire was used to determine daily consumption of sweetened beverages. Fruit juice was not considered a sweetened beverage on this questionnaire.

Overall, 4,113 HF events occurred during follow-up, including 3,604 first-time HF hospitalizations and 509 events that led to death.

Compared with no consumption, men who drank two or more sweetened beverages per day had a greater risk for HF (HR = 1.23; 95% CI, 1.12-1.35). When the researchers excluded men with diabetes from the analysis, the heightened risk for HF remained (HR = 1.21; 95% CI, 1.1-1.34).

Iffat Rahman, PhD, from the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and colleagues observed no significant interaction between sweetened beverage consumption and smoking, weight or age older than 65 years.

In other results, men who consumed the most sweetened beverages were more likely to have a lower education level. Ten percent of men who consumed two or more sweetened beverages per day and 19% of men who reported no consumption had a college degree.

“Our study findings suggest that sweetened beverage consumption could contribute to HF development. These findings could have implications for HF prevention strategies,” Rahman and colleagues wrote. “Further prospective studies examining this relationship are therefore necessitated. Moreover, possible biological mechanisms linking sweetened beverage consumption with HF risk need to be studied carefully.” –  by Tracey Romero

Source: www.healio.com