A couple of months ago, we reported that drinking diet soda on a daily basis may increase the probability of suffering from a heart attack or stroke by as much as 43%. Now, a newly released clinical study is indicating that drinking regular soda on a daily basis may influence stroke risk as well.

In fact, adults that participated in the study who drank at least one regular soda each day increased their risk of having a stroke over a 20-year to 30-year period by 16%.

The medical researchers that performed the study to determine if there was a correlation between soda consumption and stroke risk concluded that regularly substituting non-sugar-sweetened beverages was statistically successful at reducing the probability of suffering from a stroke.

A Large, Lengthy Study Looking at the Affects of Soda Consumption

During the study, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute examined the soda drinking habits of 84,000 women and 43,000 men for 28 years and 22 years, respectively. The male group experienced just over 1,400 strokes during the study, while the female group experienced around 2,900 strokes.

According to Dr. Adam Bernstein, one of the lead researchers behind the study, stroke-related death due to excessive soda consumption appeared to be more common in women than in men. Bernstein said that an additional 24 deaths per 100,000 individuals per year could be attributed to soda consumption in women, while the figure for men is much lower at 14 deaths per 100,000 individuals per year.

The researchers accounted for several factors that could influence stroke risk, such as the body mass indexes, eating habits and smoking habits of the participants, before arriving at their conclusions.

Why Does Regular Soda Boost Stroke Risk?

According to Bernstein, the link between stroke risk and regular soda consumption may have something to do with the sugar content in soda. Consuming the large amount of sugar found in a soda may cause spikes in blood sugar levels along with subsequent rises in insulin, the hormone responsible for transferring glucose (sugar) to cells.

When insulin levels spike repeatedly, the body may eventually develop an insulin resistance and be more susceptible to stroke as a result.

The researchers said that the link may also have something to do with the amount of fructose found in certain sodas. Fructose is known to increase the amount of uric acid present in the blood, which may lead to diabetes and high blood pressure among other negative conditions. People with hypertension and/or diabetes are more likely to experience a stroke than healthy individuals.

Coffee – A Beverage that Reduces Stroke Risk?

The researchers also examined the subjects to determine their beverage consumption habits for drinks other than sugar-sweetened soda. They determined that coffee is one drink that can actually reduce your stroke risk instead of raising it.

According to the researchers, drinking one cup of decaf coffee each day will lower your stroke risk by around 10%. Drinking regular coffee is nearly as effective, with an observed 9% reduction in apparent stroke risk.

Coffee’s beneficial influence on stroke risk may be due to the antioxidants it contains, including magnesium, lignans and chlorogenic acids.

Soda is the “Largest Source of Added Sugar”

According to Dr. Bernstein, soda is the “largest source of added sugar in the diet.” By “added sugar,” Dr. Bernstein is referring to foods that have had sugar added to them in order to improve taste, not foods that naturally include sugar such as fruit.

Bernstein believes that his study proves the notion that regular consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages initiates a “chain reaction in the body” that may lead to serious conditions, including stroke.

In addition to stroke, sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda have been linked to a number of other conditions, such as:

• Coronary artery disease

• Gout

• High cholesterol

• High blood pressure

• Diabetes

• Obesity

Soda and Stroke Risk: The Bottom Line

Researchers in Ohio have completed a study finding that regular soda consumption increases your risk of stroke by about 16%. The link was found to be stronger in women than in men. Previous studies have found that excessive consumption of diet soda can increase stroke risk as well.

The full text of the study can be found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.