Study finds no significant health risks associated with sweetening your daily cup of coffee or tea.
- Research from the Copenhagen Male Study debunks concerns over sugar in coffee or tea
- Small additions of sugar show no substantial impact on all-cause mortality or disease incidence
- Homemade beverages contain far less sugar than their store-bought counterparts
The Sugar Conundrum
Sugar, often vilified for its association with various health problems, has been linked to tooth decay, obesity, and heart disease. The American Heart Association cautions against exceeding daily recommended sugar intake, which stands at 9 teaspoons for men and 6 teaspoons for women. With a single can of soda exceeding these limits, it's evident that many routinely overshoot these recommendations.From the extensive dataset, 2,923 men met the stringent criteria for inclusion in the study. These men boasted no prior history of heart disease, cancer, or type 2 diabetes upon entry into the study. Furthermore, they were all regular consumers of coffee or tea. Remarkably, the researchers had access to medical records for a staggering 99% of participants, ensuring a robust foundation for their analysis.
Sweet Findings: Moderation in the level of Sugar Added Poses no Health Risk
Though the researchers did not specify the exact quantity of sugar participants added to their drinks, they operated under the assumption that it was a modest amount. This assumption proved instrumental, as it allowed for a broad-spectrum analysis. Astonishingly, the study unearthed no significant divergence in health outcomes between those who sweetened their beverages and those who abstained. The mortality rate for the sugar group was 89.9%, while the no-sugar group stood at 87.5%. This negligible difference persisted over time, rendering the addition of sugar to coffee or tea a negligible factor in all-cause mortality (1✔ ✔Trusted SourceUse of sugar in coffee and tea and long-term risk of mortality in older adult Danish men: 32 years of follow-up from a prospective cohort study
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Interestingly, the study also scrutinized heart disease mortality rates, revealing a similarly slight discrepancy. The sugar group tallied a 38.2% rate, marginally higher than the no-sugar group's 35.3%. When assessing the incidence of type 2 diabetes, the tables turned, with the no-sugar group exhibiting a slightly elevated risk. Yet again, the disparities were not statistically significant, reinforcing the study's core revelation: sweetening your daily cuppa poses no substantial health risks.
Dr. Sarah Stombaugh, a distinguished family medicine physician, affirmed the study's significance, asserting that small sugar additions to coffee or tea appear benign. She underscored the distinction between home-brewed and commercial beverages, emphasizing the relatively modest sugar content of homemade concoctions. Registered dietitian nutritionist Kelsey Costa echoed this sentiment, elucidating that the sugar content in homemade tea or coffee pales in comparison to its commercial counterparts (2✔ ✔Trusted Source
Even with a little sugar, coffee may still be good for health
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“So, savor your morning ritual with confidence, knowing that a spoonful of sugar may not be as bitter as it seems.”
- Use of sugar in coffee and tea and long-term risk of mortality in older adult Danish men: 32 years of follow-up from a prospective cohort study - (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0292882)
- Even with a little sugar, coffee may still be good for health - (https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/even-with-a-little-sugar-coffee-may-still-be-good-for-health)
Source-Medindia