This Popular Kids Drink Could Wreck Health Years Later

We are all aware that health inputs early in life can have long-term health consequences.

But what’s not so obvious is how seemingly benign products can negatively affect health.

A long-term study of more than 25,000 people found that frequently drinking sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice from childhood through adulthood was associated with a higher risk of developing high blood pressure.

Whole fruit wasn’t linked to the same increase.

The findings, published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, suggest that the form and source of sugar may matter more than fructose alone.

Doctors Are Concerned

“Dietary habits in early life can have lasting health consequences,” said senior study author Vasanti Malik, Sc.D., M.Sc., of the University of Toronto and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

This is less than ideal, as high blood pressure is increasingly showing up in younger adults, teenagers, and children. It often doesn’t cause obvious symptoms. Over time, though, it can damage blood vessels, strain the heart, and raise the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Some risk factors, including age and family history, obviously can’t be changed.

Diet, smoking, exercise, and access to preventive care can.

Researchers followed participants for as long as 25 years. Every one to four years, participants answered questions about their diets, physical activity, smoking, body measurements, and other health habits.

People who drank at least two servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per day had a 52% higher risk of developing high blood pressure than those who drank fewer than three servings per week.

A serving was defined as 12 ounces.

Each daily soda was associated with a 23% higher risk. 

Each daily sports drink was associated with a 36% higher risk.

That sports drink finding deserves attention for a few reasons. First, these beverages are often marketed alongside exercise, athletics, and health. They can be useful during prolonged or intense physical activity.

Secondly, marketing makes them seem almost healthy!

The association remained even after researchers accounted for exercise, overall diet quality, and other factors.

Why Fruit Juice Can Kill 

Most people assume because fruit juice comes from fruit, it can’t be all that bad.

But the studies show those who drank at least 1.5 servings of fruit juice per day had a 35% higher risk of high blood pressure than those who drank less than one serving per week.

In this case, one serving was eight ounces, which isn’t a lot.

Each daily serving of orange juice was associated with a 20% higher risk. Apple juice and other juices weren’t linked to a statistically significant increase.

Researchers noted that some orange-flavored drinks with added sugar may have been mistakenly reported as orange juice. That could’ve affected the results.

Still, whole fruit showed a different pattern. Mainly because whole fruit contains fiber and takes time to chew. It’s generally more filling, and its natural sugars are contained within the structure of the food. Juice delivers sugar more quickly and is easy to drink in larger amounts without feeling full.

In statistical models, replacing one daily sugary drink with whole fruit was associated with a 22% lower risk of high blood pressure. Replacing fruit juice with whole fruit was associated with a 19% lower risk.

Swapping a sugary beverage for water or milk was associated with up to a 13% lower risk.

These estimates don’t guarantee that every person would see the same benefit. They show how risk differed within the study when researchers modeled alternative choices.

The study doesn’t suggest that all foods containing fructose are harmful.

The bigger issue may be how sugar is packaged and consumed, something Dr. Wiggy has discussed before.

“Fruit juice intake may be harmless at low levels yet harmful at higher intake levels,” Malik said. She recommended choosing 100% fruit juice, limiting the amount, and emphasizing whole fruit instead.

The findings also raise questions about marketing and access. Sugary drinks are inexpensive, widely available, and heavily promoted. Water, fresh fruit, and healthier options aren’t equally accessible in every school, workplace, or neighborhood.

Telling people to make better choices only goes so far when the easier and cheaper choice is often the less healthy one.

The study also had important limits. Diet and high blood pressure diagnoses were self-reported, which can introduce errors. The research found an association, not proof that these drinks directly caused high blood pressure. Most participants were white, so the findings may not apply equally to every population.

Even so, the main takeaway is fairly practical: Sugary drinks shouldn’t be treated as routine hydration, and fruit juice isn’t nutritionally identical to whole fruit. For most people, water and whole fruit remain the better everyday choices.