Two studies led by the University of Galway, Ireland that were recently published in the scientific journals: Journal of Stroke and the International Journal of Stroke based on data from the INTERSTROKE Research Project which is one of the largest international studies of risk factors, has found that too much soda, coffee, and fruit drinks could significantly increase the risk of stroke.
“Our most important findings were the links with increased chance of stroke with high coffee intake or frequent intake of fizzy drinks or fruit juice drinks,” Professor Andrew Smyth, epidemiologist at Galway.
What can cause a stroke?
When the blood supply to the brain is disrupted, it can cause a stroke and lead to damage to brain cells. 87% of these cases are because of a blood clot (ischemic), but it could also be caused by bleeding in the brain (intracerebral hemorrhage). Data from the American Heart Association indicates that in America 795,000 residents have a stroke every year, and someone experiences one every 40 seconds.
Not all drinks are equal
This study found that:
- Drinking sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened soda was linked to a 22% increased risk, and this risk significantly increased when 2 or more sodas were drunk per day.
- Drinking fruit drinks was associated with a 37% increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhage, and drinking two of these per day tripled the risk.
- Drinking more than 4 cups of coffee a day was linked to an increased risk by more than one-third. However, less was not associated with an increased risk.
“Not all fruit drinks are created equal,” said Smyth in a statement. “Freshly squeezed fruit juices are most likely to bring benefits, but fruit drinks made from concentrates, with lots of added sugar and preservatives, may be harmful.”
“We encourage people to limit coffee intake to less than four cups per day, reduce or minimize the intake of fizzy drinks and fruit juice or drinks, and when choosing a cold beverage, to opt for water as much as is possible,” said Smyth. “For those that consume lots of those beverages, we would encourage them to reduce their level of frequency of intake overall.”
Teetotalers
This study also found that:
Drinking tea was associated with a 20% decreased risk.
Drinking 3-4 cups of black tea a day was associated with a 29% decreased risk, 3-4 cups of green tea was associated with a 27% decreased risk, but when milk was added to the tea there were no associations with risk decrease.
The INTERSTROKE Research Project
The INTERSTROKE Research Project involves 27,000 participants from 27 countries, including close to 13,500 who experienced their first stroke during the study with a wide range of geographical and ethnic backgrounds, and health statuses.
“We performed INTERSTROKE to explore a wide range of risk factors for stroke—and there are lots of different publications looking at many risk factors,” said Smyth. “We have a particular interest in exploring lifestyle risk factors, particularly those beyond the traditional cardiovascular risk factors—such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. As we previously looked at diet, we extended our research to look at drinks.”
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References/Sources/Materials provided by:
https://doi.org/10.5853/jos.2024.01543
https://doi.org/10.1177/17474930241264685
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36695182
INTERSTROKE: Global research identifies stroke triggers (universityofgalway.ie)
