Study sweetens stance on sugary treats, not drinks

Eating sweet treats such as pastries is not nearly as dangerous for your health as drinking sugary drinks and may even be good for you in moderation, a new study has found.

A new study finds people who consumed more than eight servings of sugary drinks a week had a 19 per cent higher risk of ischemic stroke.

Eating sweet treats such as pastries is not nearly as dangerous for your health as drinking sugary drinks and may even be good for you in moderation, a new study has found.

Scientists in Sweden found no correlation between an increased consumption of treats and the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Their findings even suggested that “consuming occasional treats was associated with better (health) outcomes than no treats at all”.

They did, however, find a clear link between drinking sugary drinks and an increased risk of conditions such as ischemic stroke, atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, concluded: “The findings indicate that not all sources of added sugar are equally harmful to health”.

Researchers examined three categories of sugary items: sugar-sweetened drinks; treats such as pastries, ice cream and chocolate; and toppings including honey, jam and marmalade.

They examined the dietary habits of 69,705 people, 25,737 of whom were diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease during the study period. The study revealed that “sugar-sweetened beverages are the primary source of added sugar associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk”.

Those who consumed more than eight servings of sugary drinks a week had a 19 per cent higher risk of ischemic stroke, an 18 per cent higher risk of heart failure and an 11 per cent higher risk of atrial fibrillation compared with those who had one or fewer servings a week.

In a surprising finding, however, the study appeared to show that the risk of heart disease went down as the consumption of sugary food went up. It suggested that those who consume two or fewer sweet treats a week have a higher risk of stroke than those who consume more than 14 servings a week, which contradicts advice to moderate intake of sugary items.

Speculating on why the drinks would be so much more harmful than sugary foods, researchers said “liquid calories provide lower satiety”, leaving consumers feeling less full and therefore more likely to seek further calories.

They conceded that they had “no mechanistic explanations” for this reverse trend, but warned it might be due to the lifestyle of the Swedish participants examined in the study.

“There is a social tradition of fika in Sweden, where people get together with friends, relatives, or co-workers for coffee and pastries,” the study noted.

“Thus, one could hypothesise that the intake of treats is part of many people’s everyday lives without necessarily being related with overall poor dietary or lifestyle patterns, and that it might be a marker of social life.”

There may also be other factors explaining the trend. Suzanne Janzi, a PhD candidate at Lund University who was an author of the study, said: “It might reflect underlying dietary behaviours. Individuals consuming very little sugar might have very restrictive diets or might be limiting sugar due to pre-existing health conditions. While our observational study cannot establish causation, these findings suggest that extremely low sugar intake may not be necessary or beneficial for cardiovascular health.”

She added that “context matters”, explaining: “Treats are often enjoyed in social settings or special occasions, while sweetened beverages might be consumed more regularly.”

The Times