Can sweet treats reduce the risk of a heart attack?

If you have a sweet tooth, you might have been pleased to see UK newspapers reporting on a new study that suggests eating more than 2 sugary snacks a day is linked to a lower risk of heart and circulatory diseases.

It’s long been known that too much sugar can lead to excess weight and obesity, which are key risk factors for having a heart attack or stroke.

But little is known about how different sources of sugar impact heart health, and so researchers from Sweden decided to try and find out.

They looked at how different types of food and drink with added sugar affected the risk of having a heart or circulatory condition.

This included heart attack, stroke, atrial fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm), heart failure, aortic stenosis (when the aortic valve in the heart cannot open fully) and an abdominal aortic aneurysm (a swelling in the artery carrying blood to the abdomen).

They split the food and drink into 3 groups: ‘treats’ such as pastries, ice cream, chocolate and sweets; ‘toppings’ such as jam and honey; and ‘sweetened beverages’ like sodas and artificial fruit drinks.

The researchers excluded foods and drinks with natural sugars from fruits and vegetables. And none of the nearly 70,000 study participants had a heart or circulatory disease or type 2 diabetes at the start of the research.

The study, published in December in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, was carried out in Sweden and involved sending questionnaires to participants, who were 60 years-old on average, asking how often they ate treats, toppings and sweetened beverages.

Surprisingly, after an average of 22 years, it found that people who ate more than 14 servings of treats a week were 22 per cent less likely to have had a heart attack and 25 per cent less likely to have an ischaemic stroke (caused by a blood clot in the blood vessels to the brain) than those who ate less than 2 servings a week.

They had a lower risk of atrial fibrillation, heart failure and aortic stenosis too.

Eating more toppings was also linked to a lower risk of some heart and circulatory conditions. Those who ate more than 2 servings a week were less likely to develop heart failure or aortic stenosis than those who ate less than 2 servings a week.

However, people who drank more than 8 servings of sweetened beverages a week were more likely to develop heart and circulatory conditions.

They were 19 per cent more likely to have an ischaemic stroke compared to those who drank less than 1 serving a week, 11 per cent more likely to have atrial fibrillation, and 31 per cent more likely to have had an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Overall, the study found eating more sugar raised the risk of ischaemic stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm and heart failure in people who were a healthy weight for their height (BMI).

For example, people who got 20 per cent of their energy from food or drink with added sugars were at 11 per cent higher risk of ischaemic stroke compared to those whose energy intake came from less than 5 per cent of added sugar.

What do the researchers say?

The most striking finding, the researchers say, is the varied effects different sources of added sugar have on developing different heart and circulatory diseases. 

“This surprising contrast highlights the importance of considering not just the amount of sugar consumed, but its source and context,” they write.

The researchers add that there are no known biological processes to explain why eating more treats was linked with a lower risk of heart and circulatory diseases.

However, they note that in Sweden there is “a social tradition of ‘fika’… where people get together with friends, relatives, or co-workers for coffee and pastries”.

They suggest this could mean that treats like pastries are enjoyed there as part of an otherwise balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

They also say sweetened beverages could increase people’s risk of stroke because they’re less filling than sweet foods like pastries, so people may consume more calories when drinking them.

How good was the research? 

Although the study was large, with data from 69,905 people aged between 45 and 83 at the start of the research, it was still observational. This means it cannot prove sweet treats directly lower the risk of heart attacks or strokes. 

For example, while the researchers did take people’s age, weight and diet into account, they did not consider that some people may have eaten less sugary snacks because they had a family history of heart problems, or were on a restrictive diet, or had other health problems which increased their risk of heart and circulatory conditions. 

Also, everyone in the study was from the same area in Sweden, and different findings may be seen in communities that do not have cultural customs like fika. 

Data was collected by sending the participants 2 questionnaires 12 years apart to report how often they ate certain foods and drinks.

While this allowed the researchers to see how participants' diets changed over time, they may have over- or underestimated how much sugar they ate, which could have affected the study’s accuracy. 

How good was the media coverage? 

The study was picked up by several UK media outlets, including The Telegraph, the Daily Mail, The Times and Sky News. 

While their articles did note that the study could not prove cause and effect, some of the coverage was inaccurate. 

The Telegraph said: “Data suggests sugar from pastries and chocolate are associated with reduced risk of heart-related issues”, which is not correct. 

The researchers only found the treats themselves were linked to a lower risk of heart problems, not necessarily the sugar found in them. 

And the Daily Mail claimed: “indulging in the occasional sweet treat, as opposed to avoiding them entirely, could be good for your heart.” 

This is misleading as the research just found a link between people who ate treats and a lower risk of heart disease, and did not show that eating them could improve heart health. 

The BHF verdict 

While it may be tempting to eat sweet treats every day, this study does not prove that more sugar reduces your risk of a heart attack or stroke. 

More research is needed to see what impact sugar has on the heart and circulatory system. 

We do know that eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain, which in turn can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke. 

That’s why the UK Government recommends limiting your daily free sugar intake to around 30g, which is around 7 sugar cubes. 

And it’s important to remember that many treats like pastries are also high in saturated fats which can also increase your risk of heart and circulatory diseases, so should be enjoyed occasionally. 

• Learn how to cut back on sugar without noticing. 

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