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. 2020 Dec 23:7:603653.
doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.603653. eCollection 2020.

Associations Between Added Sugar Intake and Risk of Four Different Cardiovascular Diseases in a Swedish Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study

Suzanne Janzi  1 , Stina Ramne  1 , Esther González-Padilla  1 , Linda Johnson  2 , Emily Sonestedt  1
Affiliations

Associations Between Added Sugar Intake and Risk of Four Different Cardiovascular Diseases in a Swedish Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study

Suzanne Janzi et al. Front Nutr. .

Abstract

Aims: Although diet is one of the main modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular disease, few studies have investigated the association between added sugar intake and cardiovascular disease risk. This study aims to investigate the associations between intake of total added sugar, different sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, and the risks of stroke, coronary events, atrial fibrillation and aortic stenosis. Methods: The study population consists of 25,877 individuals from the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study, a Swedish population-based prospective cohort. Dietary data were collected using a modified diet history method. National registers were used for outcome ascertainment. Results: During the mean follow-up of 19.5 years, there were 2,580 stroke cases, 2,840 coronary events, 4,241 atrial fibrillation cases, and 669 aortic stenosis cases. Added sugar intakes above 20 energy percentage were associated with increased risk of coronary events compared to the lowest intake category (HR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.09-1.78), and increased stroke risk compared to intakes between 7.5 and 10 energy percentage (HR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.03 and 1.66). Subjects in the lowest intake group for added sugar had the highest risk of atrial fibrillation and aortic stenosis. More than 8 servings/week of sugar-sweetened beverages were associated with increased stroke risk, while ≤2 servings/week of treats were associated with the highest risks of stroke, coronary events and atrial fibrillation. Conclusion: The results indicate that the associations between different added sugar sources and cardiovascular diseases vary. These findings emphasize the complexity of the studied associations and the importance of considering different added sugar sources when investigating health outcomes.

Keywords: added sugar intake; cardiometabolic risk factors; cardiovascular diseases; dietary sugar; sugar-sweetened beverages.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Associations between intake of treats, toppings, sugar-sweetened beverages, and risk of incident stroke, coronary events, atrial fibrillation and aortic stenosis using the main model. *Statistically significant association. HR, Hazard ratio; CI, Confidence interval.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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