Too much coffee, soda may raise stroke risk, while tea may reduce it

Carbonated drinks, fruit juices/drinks, and too much coffee can increase the risk of stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage, according to newly released research.

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Drinking four cups of coffee per day increases the risk of stroke, but drinking less does not, the researchers found.

Tea generally protects against stroke, although not in South Asia, say the researchers.

These conclusions are drawn from data representing a large number of participants from 32 countries.

The analyses implicate carbonated beverages, fruit juices and fruit drinks, and more than four cups of coffee per day, all of which significantly increase the risk of stroke or ICH.

The data upon which the analyses were based was the large, international INTERSTROKE Trusted Source case study whose results were first published in 2016. That study involved 26,950 individuals from 32 countries.

The current analyses of INTERSTROKE data were collaboratively conducted by researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and the University of Galway in Ireland.

The risks associated with the beverages varied to some extent depending on geographic location and population in the new analyses.

According to the analyses:

⚫ Carbonated drinks, both sugar- and artificially sweetened, such as sodas, were associated with an increased likelihood of a first stroke or ICH by 22%. This association was strongest in Africa, Eastern and Central Europe and the Middle East, and in South America.

⚫ Fruit juice and fruit drinks raise the risk of ICH by 37%, with women at a higher risk than men.