Sugary drinks harmful to women's heart health

That's according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

In the ongoing California Teacher's Study, which began in 1995, drinking one or more of any type of sugary beverage daily was associated with a 26% higher likelihood of needing a revascularisation procedure.

These included angioplasty to open clogged arteries, and a 21% higher likelihood of having a stroke compared to women who rarely or never drank sugary beverages. Sugary beverages in this study were defined as caloric soft drinks, sweetened bottled waters or teas and sugar-added fruit drinks, not 100% fruit juices.

There were also differences based on the type of beverage women consumed. Drinking one or more sugar-added fruit drinks daily was associated with a 42% greater likelihood of having cardiovascular disease. Drinking soft drinks such as sodas daily was associated with a 23% higher risk of cardiovascular disease overall, compared to those who rarely or never drank sugary beverages.