Children Often Drink Sweet, High Blood Pressure Risk Can Rise

JAKARTA - Sweet drinks that are often consumed since childhood are associated with the risk of high blood pressure later in life. This new finding is a signal for parents to be more careful in choosing children's drinks, from soda, sweet tea, sports drinks, to fruit juices.

The Independent, quoted Saturday, July 25, reported that a study from the American Heart Association published in the journal Circulation found that consuming more than two servings of sugary drinks every day was associated with a 52 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure in the future.

The comparison was made with people who drank less than three servings of sugary drinks in a week.

The senior author of the study, Vasanti Malik, associate professor at the University of Toronto and a public health nutritionist, said eating and drinking habits in early life can have long-term health impacts.

"High blood pressure is also starting to emerge earlier in life, with rates increasing in young adults, children, and adolescents," Malik said.

According to Malik, this condition shows the importance of early detection and prevention.

This research is based on the Growing Up Today Study or GUTS. The study involved 25,749 participants who filled out questionnaires every one to four years. Some participants followed the study up to 25 years.

Participants reported their habits of consuming soda, lemonade, sweetened tea, and sports drinks. They also reported the consumption of fruit juice, whole fruit, as well as other foods and beverages.

Researchers also recorded information on body size, physical activity, and smoking habits.

During the monitoring period, researchers found that people who had consumed more sugary drinks and fruit juices since childhood had a greater risk of high blood pressure than those who consumed them less frequently.

The risk is not the same for each type of drink.

Daily consumption of soda was associated with a 23 percent higher risk of high blood pressure. One serving of sports drinks every day was associated with a 36 percent higher risk.

Meanwhile, consumption of more than 1.5 servings of fruit juice per day was associated with a 35 percent higher risk compared to those who drank less than one serving per week.

In this study, one serving is equivalent to one eight-ounce glass or about 240 milliliters.

Researchers say the risk of high blood pressure can be 22 percent lower if one daily serving of sugary drinks is replaced with whole fruit.

Malik said that sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda and sports drinks need to be limited. He assessed that sports drinks are often marketed as if they were healthy enough, even though they still need to be wary if consumed in excess.

"Fruit juice intake may not be harmful at low levels, but it can be harmful if consumed in higher amounts," said Malik.

According to Malik, fruit juice should be 100 percent fruit and still be consumed in moderation. Whole fruit needs to be prioritized over sweet drinks.

The Independent said researchers still gave a note of caution. The study relied on questionnaires and self-reported diagnoses of high blood pressure by participants.

Therefore, the relationship between drinking sugary drinks since childhood and high blood pressure cannot be determined as a direct cause-and-effect. Researchers said this finding still needs to be investigated further, including the possibility of other factors that also affect the results of the study.