Sugar-sweetened beverages encompass a wide variety of drinks, including soft drinks/sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, and coffees. People who are physically active often consume sugar-sweetened sports drinks to replenish the electrolytes lost during exercise. While this can be beneficial during prolonged, intense physical activities, the added sugar content in many sports drinks might not be necessary for routine exercise or for people engaging in moderate physical activity. A recent study found that for every additional serving of sugar-sweetened beverages consumed daily, the risk of cardiovascular disease increased by 18 percent for physically active people and 12 percent for those who were inactive.

The study involved more than 105,000 adults enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study who were healthy at the time of enrollment. Researchers gathered information from the participants regarding their physical activity, cardiovascular health, and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

They found that participants who consumed more than two servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per day were 21 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those who rarely or never consumed them. For each additional serving of sugar-sweetened beverages consumed daily, the risk of cardiovascular disease increased by 18 percent for people who met physical activity guidelines and by 12 percent for those who did not, indicating that physical activity did not compensate for high sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. Participants who did not meet physical activity guidelines and consumed two or more servings per week of sugar-sweetened beverages were 47 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases than those who were physically active and rarely or never drank them.

These findings suggest that consuming sugar-sweetened beverages markedly increases a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, physical activity does not offset this risk. Learn more about the health effects of sugar-sweetened beverages in our overview article.