Does being physically active attenuate the negative impact of sugar consumption?

The Study

Sugar sweetened beverages are known to have an adverse impact on cardiovascular health. A group of researchers at Harvard University wondered if being physically active reduced these negative effects. 

In this investigation, 65,730 women from the Nurses’ Health Study and 39,418 men from the Health Professional Follow-up Study had their sugar consumption and physical activity levels followed for 30 years.

The results were interesting:

-When looking at all subjects, those that consumed 2 or more sugar sweetened beverages per day had a 21% higher risk of cardiovascular disease when compared to those that never drank them.

-There was no association between diet beverage consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease.

-Participants meeting physical activity guidelines (greater than 7.5 MET hours per week) had no reduced risk when compared to subjects that did not meet physical activity guidelines (less than 7.5 MET hours per week).

American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition 2024; 119:669-681

Take Home Message

Whether you are physically active or not, it is a good idea to strictly limit sugar sweetened beverages.