A new study published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation has found that consuming sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice from childhood through adulthood is associated with a higher risk of developing high blood pressure later in life. The research, which followed more than 25,000 participants for up to 25 years, underscores the lasting impact of early dietary habits on cardiovascular health.
Senior study author Vasanti Malik, Sc.D., an associate professor at the University of Toronto, emphasized that dietary habits in early life can have long-term health consequences. High blood pressure is emerging earlier in life, with increasing rates seen in younger adults, children, and adolescents, highlighting the need for early prevention and detection. High blood pressure can lead to serious conditions such as heart attack and stroke, and while some risk factors cannot be changed, unhealthy lifestyle factors like poor diet can be modified.
The analysis included participants from the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS), who reported their intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juice, and whole fruits through food frequency questionnaires. Researchers found that participants who drank two or more servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per day had a 52% higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared to those who consumed less than three servings a week. Among sugary drink subtypes, each daily serving of soda was linked to a 23% increased risk, and sports drinks to a 36% increased risk. Additionally, those who drank 1.5 or more servings of fruit juice per day had a 35% higher risk than those who drank less than one serving per week. Orange juice was associated with a 20% higher risk per daily serving, though the researchers noted potential misclassification of orange-flavored drinks with added sugars.
The substitution analysis provided encouraging findings: replacing a daily serving of sugary beverage with whole fruit was associated with a 22% lower risk of developing high blood pressure. Similarly, replacing fruit juice with whole fruit resulted in a 19% lower risk. Substituting sugar-sweetened beverages with milk or water was linked to up to a 13% lower risk, but no significant association was found for replacing fruit juice with milk or water. These links were independent of overall diet quality, physical activity, and other factors.
Dr. Malik advised limiting sugar-sweetened beverages and consuming fruit juice only in moderation, emphasizing whole fruit over juice. The American Heart Association's 2026 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health recommends minimizing added sugars in beverages and foods. Amit Khera, M.D., vice-chair of the dietary guidance writing committee, noted that these findings add new insights, particularly regarding the importance of childhood health behaviors and the misconception that fruit juices are universally beneficial. He also highlighted that the study population was mostly white, but that Black and Hispanic populations have higher sugar-sweetened beverage intake, making these findings especially relevant for those groups.
The American Heart Association advocates for science-based policies to reduce sugary drink consumption, including taxes, improved nutrition standards in schools, and enhanced diet quality in programs like SNAP. The study's limitations include its reliance on self-reported data and the inability to prove causation, as well as limited generalizability to other populations. Nonetheless, the results underscore the value of early dietary interventions to prevent hypertension and its associated health risks later in life.
