Drink this in: sweetened beverages linked to increased stroke risk
Americans are (unfortunately) crazy for sweet-tasting beverages. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 63% of adults down at least one sugar-sweetened soda, sweetened fruit drinks, sports/energy drink, or sweetened coffee/tea drink a day.
Every year, around 610,000 folks have their first stroke.
What do these two facts have to do with each other? A lot. A new study that tracked 13,500 people who had their first stroke found that frequently having fizzy drinks with added sugar -- as well as those that are artificially sweetened -- was linked to a 22% increased chance of stroke. And they found that if you have two or more of those beverages a day, the risk skyrockets.
Sugar-added fruit juices were also found to be risky. Frequently drinking sugar-added fruit drinks was linked to a 37% increased risk of stroke from an intracranial hemorrhage (brain bleed). With two of these drinks a day, the risk triples.
So what beverages are going to help you reduce your risk? The researchers found that downing seven or more cups of water a day cut the risk of a stroke from a blood clot. And drinking three to four cups of black tea lowered stroke risk almost 30%. More good news: drinking up to three cups of coffee a day was not associated with any increased risk. For more information on how to protect yourself from cardiovascular disease and stroke, check out "Starting a Heart-Healthy Diet -- Here's What You Need to Know" and "5 Supplements to Support Heart Health and Blood Pressure" at iHerb.com/blog.
Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's).
(c)2024 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2024 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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