Sweetened coffee or tea may not carry health risks

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One longitudinal study found no association between sweetening coffee or tea and an increased risk of diabetes and death from all causes. Image credit: Trent Lanz/Stocksy.
  • Researchers from Denmark and the Netherlands analyzed data from the longitudinal Copenhagen Male Study. To see if adding sugar to coffee or tea could affect health.
  • They looked at incidence of diabetes, deaths from heart disease or cancer, and mortality from all causes.
  • Researchers found that adding sugar to coffee or tea does not pose a substantial additional health risk.

Too much sugar in a person’s diet can lead to health problems tooth decay, obesityAnd heart disease,

American Heart Association recommends no more than 9 teaspoons of added sugar per day for men and 6 teaspoons for women, but many people often consume more than that.

with a can of soda It’s easy to exceed those recommendations, exceeding the recommended maximum daily sugar intake for both men and women.

Recently, a team of researchers from institutions in Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom wondered whether adding sugar to one’s daily cup of coffee or tea is as harmful to health as is commonly believed.

are analyzing data from Copenhagen Men’s StudyScientists did not find an increased risk of all-cause mortality, diabetes, or deaths from cancer or heart disease in men who added sugar to coffee or tea.

Study findings emerge one more,

The Copenhagen Men Study began during the 1970s and focused on Danish men aged 40–59 when the study began.

Part of the initial work included assessing the men’s heart and lung health, as well as having the men complete questionnaires about their lifestyle.

During one of the follow-up appointments, doctors measured the participants’ blood pressure, height and weight. One of the questionnaires completed by participants at this time asked about their coffee and tea intake, and whether they had added sugar to these beverages.

Of the data available for the Copenhagen Men Study, researchers in the new study analyzed data from 2,923 men who met the inclusion criteria.

All men who participated in the study had no prior history of heart disease, cancer or type 2 diabetes. Additionally, the researchers only included men who indicated drinking coffee or tea.

The researchers had access to the medical records of 99% of the participants, either living men or deceased ones.

When the scientists began their analysis, they divided the participants into Chinese and non-Chinese groups and calculated the risk of all-cause mortality, cancer death, heart disease death, and type 2 diabetes for each group. Calculated.

The researchers did not ask participants how much sugar they added to their coffee or tea, but rather assumed it was a small amount. Overall, they found no significant risk for health problems in people in the sugar group versus the “no sugar” group.

The Chinese group had a mortality rate of 89.9%, and the “not Chinese” group had a mortality rate of 87.5%. Over time, there was no statistically significant association between sugar use in coffee and tea and all-cause mortality.

In terms of death rates from heart disease, the Chinese group also had slightly higher – but comparable – rates. The sugar group’s rate was 38.2% while the “no sugar” group’s rate was 35.3%.

When researchers looked at the incidence of type 2 diabetes, they found that the “no sugar” group had a slightly higher rate of developing the disease than the sugar group. Again, there was no statistical difference for the relationship between the two groups over time.

The rate of developing diabetes in the sugar group, 8.1%, was comparable to the “no sugar” group, which had a rate of 9.9%.

“The important findings of this study were that, when correcting for important confounders, there was no statistically significant association between sugar use in coffee and tea and all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cancer mortality or incident diabetes mellitus. Was not,” writes the author.

Dr. Sarah StombaughA board-certified family medicine physician and a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, not involved in this research, spoke with medical news today About the study.

“It is interesting to note that this study found no association between sugar use in coffee and tea and mortality from heart disease, cancer or type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Stombaugh said.

He commented, “The good news is that this study shows that adding small amounts of sugar to our diets can be done without serious risks.”

Dr. Stombaugh explained that the study focused on sugar added to home-made tea or coffee and that the sugar content of these home beverages can differ significantly from beverages purchased at restaurants or coffee shops.

“When someone adds sugar at home, they are adding less sugar than you would find in a flavored coffee drink at your favorite coffee shop,” he said.

“One teaspoon of sugar contains 4 grams; Most people will add a teaspoon or two of table sugar to their coffee or tea,” Dr. Stombo explained. “On the other hand, many flavored coffee drinks contain more than 30 grams of sugar, with a Grand Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte containing 50 grams of sugar. it occurs.”

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Kelsey Costa also talked to mnt About the study and also stressed the importance of studies analyzing home-made tea and coffee. She was not involved in the original research.

“It is important to clarify that the amount of sugar typically added to homemade tea or coffee – about 5 grams – is much less than the amount of sugar in most commercially prepared beverages. The study focused on traditional tea and filtered black coffee, which typically have minimal added sugar, leaving out the more significant health effects of modern, sweetened beverage variants.

– Kelsey Costa

While Costa found the study’s results interesting, he noted one particular weak point.

“The study offers strong findings because of its 32-year duration, large sample size and almost complete follow-up,” Costa said. “However, it is limited by its reliance on self-reported data and the assumption of stable intake over time, which may not accurately reflect reality.”

They also pointed out that the study’s findings, which were based on Danish men, may not apply to other populations.

“The possibility of the impact of sugar in tea or coffee on reduced sugar use over time, changes in socioeconomic status, and other dietary choices requires further exploration,” they said.

It is important to keep an eye on the nutrition facts when consuming food or beverages. It may happen many times added sugar For consumables that people wouldn’t expect.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that added sugar should be less than 10% of a person’s calorie intake and the amounts currently consumed are putting people’s health at risk.

While avoiding added sugar is ideal, there are some sources of sugar that are healthier than others.

If someone wants to satisfy his sweet tooth then he should focus on fruits. While fruits may contain sugar increase blood sugar levelsYet they may also bring nutritional benefits that are not associated with sugary drinks or snacks.

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