Sugar-Sweetened Drinks and Risk of Stroke and Dementia
What it found
In a group of adults followed for 10 years, sugar-sweetened drinks were not linked to stroke or dementia, but artificially sweetened soft drinks were linked to a higher risk of both.
What they found
Studies in people
Artificially sweetened drinks and stroke
People who drank artificially sweetened soft drinks daily had a higher risk of ischemic stroke compared with those who drank none. The link was seen for both recent and cumulative intake.
Artificially sweetened drinks and dementia
Daily intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks was linked to a higher risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease dementia in some analyses. The link weakened after adjusting for other health factors.
Sugar-sweetened drinks
Sugar-sweetened beverages, including soft drinks and fruit juices, were not linked to stroke or dementia.
Diabetes as a possible link
Diabetes was more common in people who regularly drank artificially sweetened soft drinks. It partly explained the link to dementia, but not fully.
Hypertension as a possible link
High blood pressure partly explained the link between artificially sweetened drinks and all stroke, but not ischemic stroke.
What the authors conclude
“Artificially sweetened soft drink consumption was associated with a higher risk of stroke and dementia.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that artificially sweetened soft drink consumption was associated with a higher risk of stroke and dementia.
- They state that sugar-sweetened beverages were not associated with an increased risk of such outcomes.
- They call for future research to replicate these findings and investigate the mechanisms behind the reported associations.
How it was done
Sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened drinks have been linked to heart and metabolic problems, which may raise the risk of stroke and dementia. The authors wanted to see if these drinks were linked to new cases of stroke or dementia in a community group.
They followed 2888 people aged over 45 for stroke and 1484 people aged over 60 for dementia from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort. Drink intake was measured with food questionnaires, and participants were followed for up to 10 years.
What it can’t tell you
- This was an observational study, so it can show a link but cannot prove that artificially sweetened drinks cause stroke or dementia.
- The study cannot rule out that other unmeasured factors or reverse causality explain the findings.
- The results may not apply to non-European populations because the study lacked ethnic minorities.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NINDS NIH HHS; NHLBI NIH HHS; NIA NIH HHS (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- Disclosures - All other authors report no disclosures or potential conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- Boston University School of Medicine, MA; Swinburne University of Technology, Australia (M.P.P.); Boston University School of Public Health, MA
The paper
- Title
- Sugar- and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and the Risks of Incident Stroke and Dementia: A Prospective Cohort Study
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Pase MP, Himali JJ, Beiser AS, et al (2017). Sugar- and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and the Risks of Incident Stroke and Dementia: A Prospective Cohort Study. Stroke. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.116.016027Free full textPubMed 28428346DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error