Research indicates that drinking artificially sweetened beverages increases the risk of atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that results in an irregular heartbeat.
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) can cause blood clots in the heart, which subsequently increases the likelihood of stroke, heart failure, and other heart-related complications. It is projected that by 2030, 12.1 million people in the United States will suffer from AFib, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Past studies have identified a connection between sweetened beverages and the risk of cardiometabolic diseases. In the most recent research, the relationship between the intake of sugar-sweetened drinks, artificially sweetened drinks, and natural fruit juice and the risk of atrial fibrillation was examined.
The findings, published in the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, suggest that a weekly consumption of two or more liters of artificially sweetened drinks could increase the risk of this heart condition by 20%.
Despite the researchers being unable to definitively state that sweetened drinks cause atrial fibrillation, this connection remained even when considering a genetic predisposition to the condition. The study involved dietary questionnaires and genetic data from over 200,000 adults in the UK Biobank. These participants did not have AFib at the start of the study, however, during the ten-year follow-up, the condition developed in 9,362 participants.
The study’s lead investigator, Ningjian Wang, noted, “Our research shows that consuming more than two liters (roughly 67 ounces) of sugar-sweetened drinks a week is associated with a 10% risk of newly developed atrial fibrillation. This figure goes up to 20% for people drinking over two liters of artificially sweetened drinks a week.”
Moreover, the researchers discovered more noteworthy points:
- Drinking one liter or less of natural fruit juice per week could decrease atrial fibrillation risk by 8%.
- Those who drink both sugar-sweetened beverages and natural juice have a higher total sugar intake.
- Individuals who drink large amounts of artificially sweetened drinks tend to be women and are younger with higher BMI and a higher prevalence of Type 2 diabetes. Those who drink sugar-sweetened drinks tend to be men, younger, with increased BMI, a history of heart disease, and lower socioeconomic status.
- Those who smoke and drink more than two liters of sugary drinks per week face a 31% elevated chance of developing AFib.
Though these findings do not definitively rank one beverage as worse than another due to our intricate diets and some people’s habits of drinking multiple types of beverages, it is recommended that people minimize or even avoid both artificially and sugar-sweetened beverages whenever possible. Wang advised, “Do not assume that low-sugar and low-calorie artificially sweetened drinks are healthy, as they could present potential health risks.”
