How you get your sugar fix may significantly impact your heart health.
Treating yourself to an occasional cookie or a cup of tea with honey appears to do a lot less harm than drinking sugar-sweetened beverages like soda, a new study finds.
Researchers looked at the impact of three classes of sugar on seven cardiovascular diseases in nearly 70,000 people. They included toppings like honey, treats like pastry and sweetened beverages like fizzy drinks.
The results showed consuming sugary beverages was the worst for heart health. Drinking more sweetened beverages increased the risk of stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation and abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Author [Suzanne Janzi](https://portal.research.lu.se/en/persons/suzanne-janzi) of Lund University says, “Liquid sugars, found in sweetened beverages, typically provide less satiety than solid forms — they make you feel less full — potentially leading to overconsumption.”
Higher sugar intake in general was linked to increased odds of stroke and heart failure But surprisingly, eating an occasional sugary treat was linked to better cardiac outcomes than eating none at all.
The researchers say these findings highlight the importance of considering not just the amount of sugar you eat, but its source.
Source: [Frontiers](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1452085/full)
Author Affiliations: Lund University