More than two sugar-sweetened drinks a day was tied to a higher risk of developing high blood pressure later in life, according to a study tracking children into adulthood.
Researchers from Harvard and the University of Toronto analyzed data from more than 25,000 people over 25 years, including over 1,600 who developed high blood pressure.
One swapped serving mattered: replacing a sugary drink with water, milk or whole fruit instead of juice cut risk by 9% to 22% versus continued sugary-drink intake.
The findings, published in Circulation, add to evidence that early-life diet can shape cardiovascular risk as high blood pressure appears increasingly in younger adults, children and adolescents.