Arrhythmias can result from the consumption of sugary drinks
Last reviewed: 07.06.2024
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People who drink two or more liters of anything containing sugar or artificial sweeteners every week are at high risk of atrial fibrillation, or atrial fibrillation. This was reported by researchers at the Medical College of Shanghai University. The information is presented on the Internet resource of the American Heart Association.
Atrial fibrillation - atrial fibrillation is a failure of the rhythmic work of the heart, which is accompanied by asynchronous contractions of the ventricles and atria. This disorder poses a considerable danger to humans, as it leads to irregularity of cardiac activity and more than five times increases the risk of acute cerebral circulatory disorders. The pathology is quite widespread: as the American Heart Association suggests, in 5-6 years atrial fibrillation will be diagnosed in at least twelve million people worldwide.
It has been previously reported that there is a correlation between the development of cardiac or metabolic pathologies and the consumption of beverages containing sweeteners in one form or another. In particular, the development of type 2 diabetes and obesity. At the same time, the involvement of such drinks in atrial fibrillation has not been proven.
Recently, Chinese researchers analyzed the likelihood of such a relationship by studying the effect of drinks with sugar or artificial sweeteners, as well as natural fruit juices. The experiment involved more than two hundred thousand volunteers who had never suffered from atrial fibrillation before.
Compared with participants who did not drink beverages with sugar or sweeteners, the likelihood of atrial fibrillation was 20% higher in subjects who drank more than two liters of sugar-sweetened beverages each week. The risks were 10% higher in participants who drank more than one liter and less than two liters per week.
The experiment also demonstrated that people who drank up to 1 liter of natural vegetable or fruit juice without artificial additives and sweeteners per week had an 8% lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation.
It is important to note that among the subjects who drank sugary drinks more often, a large proportion were female, people with a higher body mass index and a predisposition to type 2 diabetes mellitus. Smoking participants who drank more than two liters of sugary drinks per week had a more than 30% increased risk of atrial fibrillation.
The information on the relationship between the occurrence of atrial fibrillation and the consumption of sugary drinks (as well as natural juices), as voiced and proven by scientists, can be used in terms of improving preventive cardiac interventions.
Read more about the study on the journal page About Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology