Eating two small bars of chocolate a day could be better for heart health than avoiding sweets altogether, a Swedish study suggests.
Researchers tracked the cardiovascular outcomes of 70,000 Swedes (along with their snacking habits) and found that abstinence from sugary foods increased the risk of heart attack.
Those who consumed up to 14 sweets per week reduced their chance of having a stroke by one-sixth and were about one-fifth less likely to have a heart attack compared to those who consumed less than two in seven days.
Similar positive heart outcomes were also seen for other cardiovascular health problems, such as aneurysms, heart failure, and irregular heartbeats.
Doctors have long warned that diets high in sugar can increase the risk of heart disease because high-calorie sweets increase the chances of being overweight or obese.
This is why the NHS advises British adults to only consume 30g of added sugar a day (equivalent to about seven sugar cubes), and children are advised to consume even less.
Presenting their findings in the magazine. Frontiers in public healthThe authors explained that the apparent protective powers of sweets could be a sign of other unhealthy factors in the lives of those who avoided them.
Lead author Suzanne Janzi, from Lund University, said: “People who consume too little sugar could have very restrictive diets or could be limiting sugar due to pre-existing health conditions.”
Indulging in a sweet treat every once in a while, rather than avoiding them entirely, could be good for your heart, Swedish study suggests
He added that the findings suggested that having too few sugars in the diet could also increase the risk of heart problems such as heart attacks and strokes.
“Although our observational study cannot establish causality, these findings suggest that extremely low sugar intake may not be necessary or beneficial for cardiovascular health,” he said.
However, the study also found that high consumption of some sources of sugar was linked to poorer heart health.
Consuming sugary 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 increased risk of heart failure. irregular heartbeats.
Janzi said this could be related to the fact that these types of drinks make people feel hungrier, leading them to consume more calories overall.
“Liquid sugars, found in sweetened beverages, typically provide less satiety than solid forms; they make you feel less full, which could lead to overconsumption,” he said.
“Context also matters: sweets are often enjoyed in social settings or special occasions, while sweetened beverages may be consumed more regularly.”
The study was based on two dietary surveys conducted with participants, who had an average age of 60 years and who were, on average, overweight, in 1997 and 2009.
Participants were asked what type of sugar they consumed, such as soda or candy, and how often per week.
Participants were then followed until they died, were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, or until the study ended in 2019.
By the end, nearly 26,000 participants had been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
The authors did not detail the exact grams of candy they considered a “serving.”
However, they referenced previous studies as a basis for which foods could be considered sweet, which listed a 60g serving for cakes, sweets and chocolate and 75g for ice cream.
For context, a Krispy Kreme glazed donut weighs approximately 51g and a 4-finger Kit-Kat milk chocolate bar weighs 41.5g.
The study had limitations, including the fact that it was observational, meaning it cannot prove whether the cardiovascular outcomes were directly caused or prevented by sugar consumption.
Additionally, the dietary information was obtained by survey, meaning it relied on people accurately recording what type of sugar they consumed and how often, which has the potential for human error.