THURSDAY, July 2, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) and fruit juice intake is associated with increased risk of hypertension, according to a study published online June 22 in Circulation.
Michelle Nguyen, Ph.D., from Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues examined the associations of total fructose and SSB, fruit juice, and whole fruit intake with incident hypertension in a multivariable analysis. Data were included for a longitudinal cohort of 25,749 individuals drawn from the enrollment waves of the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS): 16,875 in GUTS 1 and 10,918 in GUTS II.
The researchers found that 1,625 participants (6.3 percent) reported a hypertension diagnosis during up to 25 years of follow-up. There was no association for total fructose intake with incident hypertension. However, the risk of hypertension was increased for participants with the highest intake of SSBs (≥ two servings/day versus < three servings/week) and fruit juice (≥1.5 servings/days versus < one serving/week) (hazard ratios, 1.52 and 1.35, respectively). No association was seen for whole fruit with hypertension. The risk of hypertension was lowered by 13, 9, and 22 percent in association with replacing one serving/day of SSB with milk, water, or whole fruit, respectively. In addition, the risk of hypertension was 19 percent lower for replacing fruit juice with whole fruit.
"Fruit juice intake may be harmless at low levels yet harmful at higher intake levels. They should always be 100 percent fruit juice, and even so, consumed only in moderation. Whole fruit should be emphasized over sugary beverages," senior author Vasanti S. Malik, Sc.D., also from Temerty Faculty of Medicine, said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and nutrition industries.
