Research Examines Soft Drink Consumption and Stroke Risk

A recent study has reportedly claimed that “soft drink intake is associated with
higher risk of ischemic stroke for women.” Ehab Eshak, et al., “Soft drink intake
in relation to incident ischemic heart disease, stroke and stroke subtypes
in Japanese men and women: the Japan Public Health Centre-based study
cohort,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 2012. After analyzing
food-frequency questionnaires and data from approximately 40,000 Japanese
men and women aged 40-49 years, researchers evidently concluded during
an 18-year follow-up that “soft drink intake was positively associated with risk
of total stroke and more specifically ischemic stroke for women.” At the same
time, however, the results suggested “a nonsignificant inverse trend for risks
of total and ischemic strokes…for men” that “was weakened after the exclusion
of early incident cases or after the exclusion of participants with baseline
comorbidities.”

“There was no consensus about why an adverse effect of soft drink is stronger
for women than for men,” concluded the study’s authors, who noted that
adjustments for body mass index and total energy intake had little effect on
the findings. “No association was shown between soft drink intake and risk of
hemorrhagic stroke or IHD [ischemic heart disease] for either sex.”