However, he added that because this is an observational study, it does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship.
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A few 3,604 new cases of heart failure were diagnosed, and 509 people died of their condition.
Soft drinks have been linked to other diseases, like obesity, diabetes, and more, but researchers say it’s the first time a connection has been found between these drinks and heart failure.
After taking into account factors that may influence the results, two servings of sweetened drinks was associated with a 23% increased risk of developing heart failure compared with drinking none at all.
While this study provides clear evidence that extended consumption of high amounts of sweetened beverages increases the risk of heart failure in men, it is unclear if this result is generalizable to women.
The BMJ study said no distinction was made between drinks sweetened with sugar, fructose/glucose, or artificial sweetener. “Moreover, possible biological mechanisms linking sweetened beverage consumption with heart failure risk need to be studied carefully”. More than 23 million people worldwide have heart failure, including about 5.8 million in the United States.
In addition they stressed the study only involved older white men and might not be appropriate to girls younger age groups, or particular ethnic groups.
Two servings or more per day increases heart failure risk by 23%.
It is a progressive condition in which the heart becomes weak, gradually losing the ability to pump blood enough to supply the whole body’s needs.
To try and exclude reverse causation – whereby those with undiagnosed heart failure drank more sweetened beverages, so inflating the findings – the researchers carried out a further analysis to exclude all those diagnosed with heart failure during the first five years of the monitoring period.
Francesco Cappuccio, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Warwick, said sweetened drinks could contribute to heart failure by increasing weight gain and diabetes – which are already known about.
The COSM questionnaire asked the group “How many soft drinks or sweetened juice drinks do you drink per day or per week?”
“The take-home message is that people who regularly drink sweetened beverages should consider reducing their consumption”, co-author Dr Susanna Larsson said in The Independent.
Researchers also didn’t differentiate between beverages sweetened with people and sugar.
“At the same time, it is safe to admit that sweetened beverages are usually components of a poor quality dietary pattern and that overall dietary patterns better represent the broader picture of food habits and are more important determinants of disease than any isolated food or beverage”, they said.
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Clinicians should advise patients to reduce or eliminate their consumption of sweetened beverages, replacing them with water for good hydration, they suggested.
