Regular consumption of soda, sports drinks and even fruit juice during childhood can quietly shape a child’s long-term eating and drinking habits. These beverages may contain high amounts of added or naturally occurring sugars, and frequent intake can contribute to excess calorie consumption, dental caries and unhealthy weight gain. Experts say childhood habits involving soda, sports drinks, and even fruit juice may quietly raise the risk of high blood pressure decades later. In this Cover story, PharmaTimes Editor, MORGAN NWANGUMA reports that going by a recent study emanating from the American Heart Foundation, frequent consumption of soda, sports drinks, and fruit juice beginning in childhood has been associated with an elevated risk of high blood pressure in adulthood.
Substituting one daily drink for whole fruit, milk, or water could considerably lower that risk.
Soda is particularly concerning because it offers little nutritional value while delivering substantial amounts of sugar. Sports drinks, although marketed for hydration and athletic performance, are generally unnecessary for most children engaging in ordinary physical activity. They can add significant sugar and calories to a child’s diet.
Fruit juice may appear healthier because it comes from fruit, but juice lacks much of the fibre found in whole fruit and can contain considerable amounts of naturally occurring sugar. Children who regularly drink juice may also become accustomed to sweet flavours and consume less water or whole fruit.
A Nigerian consultant cardiologist, Dr Abubakar Sani, corroborated as much while speaking to News Agency of Nigeria, stating that “excessive consumption of sugary drinks increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases in children.” He added that, “excessive intake of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages will likely predispose kids to the danger of heart disease, hypertension as well as Type 2 diabetes.”
Healthier childhood habits include making water the main drink, offering whole fruits instead of juice whenever possible, and reserving sugary beverages for occasional consumption. Developing these habits early can help children maintain healthier diets and reduce their risk of obesity, tooth decay and other diet-related problems later in life.
Regular consumption of fruit juice and sugar-sweetened beverages from childhood into adulthood may increase the risk of developing high blood pressure later in life, according to a new study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.
The researchers found that people who consumed large quantities of sugary drinks, including soda and sports drinks, during childhood were more likely to develop hypertension as adults. Higher consumption of fruit juice was also associated with increased risk.
“Dietary habits in early life can have lasting health consequences,” said senior study author Vasanti Malik, an associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Nutrition and Chronic Disease Prevention at the University of Toronto.
She noted that high blood pressure is increasingly being detected among younger adults, children and adolescents, making early prevention particularly important.
Sugary Drinks and Hypertension
The study analysed data from 25,749 participants in the long-running Growing Up Today Study, who were between nine and 16 years old when they enrolled. Researchers tracked their dietary habits and health for up to 25 years.
Participants regularly reported how often they consumed beverages such as soda, fruit punch, lemonade, sweetened tea, sports drinks and fruit juice. Information on whole-fruit consumption, physical activity, smoking, body measurements and other dietary factors was also collected.
The findings were striking. Participants who consumed at least two servings of sugar-sweetened beverages every day had a 52 per cent greater risk of developing high blood pressure later in life than those who consumed fewer than three servings a week.
Soda consumption was associated with a 23 per cent increase in hypertension risk for each additional daily serving, while daily sports-drink consumption was associated with a 36 per cent increase.
Fruit juice was not exempt. Those who drank at least 1.5 servings of fruit juice a day had a 35 per cent higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared with people who consumed less than one serving a week. Each additional daily serving of orange juice was associated with a 20 per cent higher risk, although the researchers acknowledged that some orange-flavoured, sugar-sweetened drinks may have been mistakenly classified as orange juice.
Whole Fruit May Offer a Healthier Alternative
The researchers also examined what could happen if participants replaced sugary beverages with healthier alternatives.
Their statistical models suggested that replacing one daily serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage with whole fruit could be associated with a 22 per cent lower risk of developing high blood pressure. Replacing a daily serving of fruit juice with whole fruit was associated with a 19 per cent lower risk.
Replacing sugary drinks with milk or water was also associated with up to a 13 per cent reduction in risk.
According to Malik, sugary beverages, including sports drinks, should be limited, while even 100 per cent fruit juice should be consumed in moderation. She emphasised that whole fruit should be preferred because it provides fibre and other nutrients that are lost or reduced when fruit is processed into juice.
“Sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda and sports drinks, which are often marketed as somewhat healthy, should be limited,” Malik said. “Fruit juice intake may be harmless at low levels yet harmful at higher intake levels. They should always be 100% fruit juice, and even so, consumed only in moderation. Whole fruit should be emphasized over sugary beverages.”
Not All Sources of Sugar Appear to Carry the Same Risk
Amit Khera, a cardiologist and American Heart Association volunteer expert, said the findings add important insight to existing research linking sugary drinks with hypertension and cardiovascular risk.
He pointed out that the study suggests the source of fructose may matter. Sugar consumed through whole fruit did not show the same association with hypertension as sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice.
Khera said this challenges the idea that fructose is inherently harmful regardless of where it comes from, as well as the assumption that fruit juice is automatically a healthy alternative to sugary drinks.
Why Childhood Habits Matter
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular complications. While factors such as age and family history cannot be changed, diet, physical activity, smoking and other lifestyle behaviours can influence the development of hypertension.
The study therefore highlights the importance of establishing healthier drinking habits early in life.
Parents and caregivers can help by making water the primary beverage, encouraging children to eat whole fruits rather than regularly drinking juice, and limiting soda, sports drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages.
The American Heart Association has also supported measures aimed at reducing consumption of sugary drinks, including taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, stronger nutrition standards for school meals and improved nutrition information for consumers.
Study Limitations
The researchers cautioned that the study does not prove that sugary beverages or fruit juice directly cause high blood pressure. Much of the dietary information was obtained through questionnaires, while hypertension was based on participants’ reports of diagnoses by healthcare professionals.
The study population was also predominantly non-Hispanic White, meaning the findings may not apply equally to populations that were underrepresented.
Nevertheless, the researchers said the long follow-up period and large number of participants provide further evidence that beverage choices made during childhood may have implications for cardiovascular health decades later.
The central message is simple: children do not need to grow up drinking sugary beverages. The earlier families establish a preference for water and whole fruit, the better the opportunity to protect cardiovascular health in later life.
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