A study spanning 25 years has found that individuals who consumed more sugary beverages and fruit juice beginning in childhood had a higher risk of developing high blood pressure in adulthood. The research, published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation, highlights the lasting impact of early dietary habits on long-term health.
Senior study author Vasanti Malik, Sc.D., M.Sc., an associate professor at the University of Toronto and adjunct faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, emphasized that dietary habits in early life can have lasting health consequences. High blood pressure is emerging earlier in life, with growing rates in younger adults, children, and adolescents, underscoring the importance of early prevention.
The analysis included more than 25,000 participants from the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS), which followed U.S. youths from ages 9 to 16 for up to 25 years. Participants reported their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juice, and whole fruits via food frequency questionnaires administered periodically. Researchers estimated associations between intake of total fructose, sugary drinks, fruit juice, and whole fruit with self-reported high blood pressure diagnoses.
Key results showed that those 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 consuming less than three servings per week. Each daily serving of soda was associated with a 23% higher risk, and sports drinks with a 36% higher risk. Similarly, consuming 1.5 or more servings of fruit juice per day was linked to a 35% higher risk, with orange juice specifically associated with a 20% higher risk per daily serving.
Substitution analysis suggested that replacing a daily serving of sugary beverage with whole fruit could lower the risk of high blood pressure by 22%, while replacing fruit juice with whole fruit could reduce risk by 19%. Substituting sugary drinks with milk or water was associated with up to a 13% lower risk. These associations were independent of overall diet quality, physical activity, and other factors.
American Heart Association volunteer expert Amit Khera, M.D., FAHA, noted that the study provides critical insights into the importance of health behaviors in childhood for adult risk factor development. He highlighted that total fructose amount seems less important than the source, with sugary beverages and fruit juice increasing risk while whole fruit does not. Khera also pointed out that the study population was mostly white, but findings may be even more relevant for non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations, who have higher sugary drink intake.
The American Heart Association advocates for policies to reduce sugary drink consumption, including taxes, improved nutrition standards in schools, and better diet quality in assistance programs. The study's limitations include reliance on self-reported data and the inability to prove causation, but the findings add to the growing evidence that limiting sugary beverages and fruit juice while emphasizing whole fruits is crucial for cardiovascular health.
