Eating two small chocolate bars a day could be better for your heart health than avoiding sweet treats altogether, a Swedish study suggests.
Researchers monitored the cardiovascular outcomes of 70,000 Swedes – along with their snacking habits – and found that abstaining from sugary foods increased the risk of heart attack.
Those given up to 14 treats a week reduced their risk of stroke by a sixth and had about a fifth lower risk of heart attack compared with those given fewer than two such treatments in seven days.
Similar positive heart results were also observed for other cardiovascular health problems, such as aneurysms, heart failure and irregular heartbeat.
Doctors have long warned that diets high in sugar can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, because the calorie-rich sweet stuff increases the risk of being overweight or obese.
This is why the NHS advises British adults to consume just 30 grams of added sugar per day – equivalent to around seven sugar cubes – and children are advised to eat even less.
Present their findings in the journal Frontiers in public healththe authors explained that the apparent protective powers of treats could be a sign of other unhealthy factors in the lives of those who avoid them.
Lead author Suzanne Janzi from Lund University said: ‘Individuals who consume very little sugar may follow a very restrictive diet or limit sugar content due to pre-existing health problems.’
Enjoying sweet treats occasionally, rather than avoiding them altogether, could be good for your heart, a Swedish study suggests
She added that the findings suggested that having too little sugar in a diet could also increase the risk of heart problems such as heart attack and stroke.
“Although our observational study cannot establish a causal relationship, these findings suggest that extremely low sugar intake may not be necessary or beneficial for cardiovascular health,” she said.
However, the study also found that high intake of some sugar sources was linked to poorer heart health.
Consuming sugar-laden drinks such as soda more than eight times a week increased the risk of a heart aneurysm by almost a third, heart failure or stroke by almost a fifth and a 10 percent higher risk of an irregular heartbeat.
Ms Janzi said this could be linked to the fact that such drinks make people feel hungrier, causing them to consume more calories overall.
“Liquid sugars, found in sweetened drinks, tend to be less satiety than solid sugars – they make you feel less full – potentially leading to overconsumption,” she said.
‘The context also matters: treats are often enjoyed in social settings or on special occasions, while sweetened drinks are consumed more often.’
The study was based on two nutritional studies conducted in 1997 and 2009 among participants who were on average 60 years old and were on average overweight.
Participants were asked what form of sugar they consumed, such as soda or treats, and how often per week.
Participants were then followed until they died, were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, or until the study ended in 2019.
Ultimately, almost 26,000 participants were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
The study had a number of limitations, including the fact that it was observational, meaning it cannot prove whether cardiovascular outcomes were directly caused or prevented by sugar consumption.
Additionally, the nutritional information was obtained through a survey, meaning it relied on people accurately recording what form of sugar they had and how often, which introduces the potential for human error.