United States: Research suggests daily beverage habits might be silently upping stroke risks.
One of the largest stroke studies has revealed that regular intake of coffee, fruit juice, and fizzy drinks is associated with an elevated risk of stroke.
More about the study
Published this fall, the findings reveal that drinking more than four cups of coffee daily increases stroke risk by 37%, with fruit juice showing a similar effect and sodas raising the risk by 22%.
The researchers, “optimizing water intake, minimizing fruit juice/drinks, and avoiding carbonated beverages,” suggested.
The age-adjusted death rate for stroke in Michigan in 2022 was 57.6 per 100000 population. That was up from 50 per one hundred thousand people five years prior in the year 2017.
What do experts say?
Dr. Shukri Wadi David, an interventional cardiologist at Ascension Providence in Southfield, explained that with a sample of 27,000 patients from 27 countries, the study reveals a clear trend in stroke risks linked to these drinks.
“Why is this important and should we believe it?” David inquired.
“Because it’s such a large number of patients. You can really see the statistical significance of this being real and not a red herring. The power is in the numbers,” David added.
Stroke risks explained
A stroke disrupts blood flow to the brain, damaging brain cells and causing significant health impacts. Strokes account for 17% of all U.S. deaths each year and are triggered by blood clots or hemorrhages in the brain.
In the Journal of Stroke, researchers reviewed data from over 13,400 stroke patients, comparing them with a similar group without stroke.
In addition to common risk factors like obesity and high blood pressure, drinks containing sugar or artificial sweeteners showed a clear connection to stroke risk.
Dr. David added the bottom line should be “moderation is best.”
“We’re talking about people drinking four, five, six of these fuzzy drinks a day, those folks are seeing more risk for strokes and heart attacks,” he added.
“Too much of anything is bad, but you can still have your coffee. One or two cups a day is not going to substantially increase your risk,” David added.
On the other hand, drinking tea and frequency of consuming more than seven cups of water in a day was related with decreased risk of-Ichambodennormogram blood clot cause stroke.
Pouring milk into your tea will negate its effects of the antioxidants contained in the drink.