Hypertension/High Blood Pressure Health Center

Sodas, Sugary Drinks May Raise BP

AHA: Limit Added Sugars continued...

People who reported drinking more than one serving per day of sugar-sweetened drinks took in an average of about 400 calories more each day than people who drank no sugar-sweetened beverages.

The American Heart Association recommends that women limit added sugars in their diets to no more than 100 calories a day and men limit added sugars to 150 calories.

A typical 12-ounce can of sugar-sweetened soda has about 140 calories, and just about all the calories come from added sweeteners.

“[Non-diet] sodas are basically sugar water with or without caffeine,” AHA spokesperson Rachel K. Johnson, PhD, tells WebMD. “They are the No. 1 source of added sugars in a population where the majority of people are overweight.”

She concedes that a direct link between soda consumption and obesity and cardiovascular disease would be difficult to prove, but adds that she does not think the science linking sugar-sweetened beverages to these health issues has been overplayed.

Johnson is a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont.

“I don’t think anyone would say that limiting sugar-sweetened drinks is the only solution,” she says. “But to me, it is an important step in the right direction.”