A Swedish study suggests that men who drink two or more glasses of soda or other sweetened drinks a day may increase their chances of a heart failure, Reuters reports.
Study leader Susanna Larsson of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm said that earlier studies have linked high intake of sugar drinks with several risk factors for heart failure, including high blood pressure and obesity.
Larsson and colleagues studied about 42,000 men for an average of almost 12 years. The participants were assessed on their daily and weekly intake of soft drinks or sweetened juices.
The study revealed that men who had more than two sweetened drinks a day had a 23 percent greater risk of developing heart failure during the study than men who didn't consume these drinks.
Over the course of the study, there were 3,604 participants diagnosed with heart failure. Of these, 509 died because of the condition, HNGN reports.
However, the study did not prove that sugary drinks cause heart failure.
Larsen said by email, "The take-home message is that people who regularly drink sweetened beverages should consider reducing their consumption."
"Sweetened beverage consumption has been associated with blood pressure, insulin concentration, weight gain, obesity and type 2 diabetes also in women," Larsson noted.
Even though the study was done in men, women should also be cautious of consuming sugary drinks, Larsson added.
The study was published in the online Nov. 2 Journal of Heart.
"Sweetened beverages lead to weight gain and obesity and this leads to diabetes and heart failure," Martinez-Gonzalez told Reuters Health by email. "The take home message is to drink water instead of sweetened beverages."
