Fizzy Drinks, Fruit Juice & Strokes
The mainstream media has been full of reports on a study that found that fizzy drinks and fruit juice increase the risk of stroke. Let’s delve deeper into that study.
The mainstream media reports of the study are true, but they are misleading. They make it sound like the “fizzy” and the “fruit” are the culprits. But they’re not.
The study was based on analyses of two studies in the massive INTERSTROKE research project, which included 26,950 people.
It indeed found that fizzy drinks were linked to a 22% increase in the risk of stroke. It also found that the risk went up steeply with 2 or more fizzy drinks a day. But before you throw your sparkling water away, the risk came from sugar sweetened and artificially sweetened carbonated drinks, like sodas. The culprit seems to be the sweetener, not the fizz.
Fruit juice was found to increase the risk of stroke by 37%. Two drinks of fruit juice a day triples the risk. But, as lead researcher Andrew Smyth explains, “Not all fruit drinks are created equal – freshly squeezed fruit juices are most likely to bring benefits, but fruit drinks made from concentrates, with lots of added sugars and preservatives, may be harmful.” Once again, the culprit seems to be the sweeteners and preservatives and not the fruit, which has lots of health benefits.
There was also mixed news for coffee drinkers. While drinking 4 or more cups of coffee a day was associated with a 37% increased risk of stroke, drinking less than that amount was not.
This finding should not come as a surprise. Although coffee has metamorphosized from an unhealthy indulgence to something of a health food, the research has consistently pointed to a healthy sweet spot. And that sweet spot has consistently suggested a cut off around four. Research has consistently shown that up to 3 cups a day help you live longer but that at about 4 cups a day, the risk of dying from any cause goes up. Further research has also found negative effects of coffee at 6 cups a day (Clin Nutr. 2020;39(11):3467-76).
The good news that was less frequently reported in the mainstream media was that drinking more than 7 cups (56 ounces) of water a day reduces the risk of stroke by 18%.
The other good news that should not surprise you is that drinking 3-4 cups a day of tea protects you from strokes. In this study, black tea reduced the risk by 29% and green tea reduced it by 27%. But, don’t add milk to your tea. The benefits of tea disappeared when people added milk, possibly because milk blocks the beneficial effects of the antioxidants in tea. The inhibitory effect of milk is also consistent with lots of previous research that has found that milk neutralizes the antioxidant effects of coffee, tea and dark chocolate.
So, the takeaway from this new study is that there is not much that is new. The huge study adds to the evidence that soda and sweetened drinks are bad for you. Drink coffee in moderation: less than 4 cups a day is good for you; more than 4 cups a day is not. Enjoy 100% fruit juice, lots of water and lots of tea. Finally, when you enjoy your coffee or tea, don’t add milk or sweeteners.
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