Popular childhood drinks may raise blood pressure decades later - ScienceDaily

What the report says

ScienceDaily reported on research from the American Heart Association linking regular consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and fruit juice from childhood into adulthood with a greater chance of being diagnosed with high blood pressure later in life. The study, published in Circulation and dated July 23, 2026, followed more than 25,000 participants from the Growing Up Today Study for up to 25 years using repeated questionnaires on diet, lifestyle and health measures.

According to the report, participants who drank at least two servings of sugar-sweetened beverages a day had a 52% higher risk of later high blood pressure compared with those drinking fewer than three servings a week. A daily soda serving was associated with a 23% higher risk, while a daily sports drink serving was associated with a 36% higher risk. Higher fruit juice intake was also linked to risk: people drinking 1.5 or more servings a day had a 35% higher risk than those drinking less than one serving weekly.

The researchers’ models suggested potential benefits from substitutions. Replacing one daily sugary drink with whole fruit was associated with a 22% lower risk, and replacing one daily fruit juice serving with whole fruit was associated with a 19% lower risk. Switching sugary drinks to milk or water was linked to a smaller reduction, while replacing juice with milk or water was not tied to a significant change.

The findings matter because high blood pressure raises risks for heart attack and stroke and is appearing earlier in life, the article noted. The evidence is observational and relied on self-reported diagnoses and diet data, and an American Heart Association expert cautioned the study population was mostly White, limiting how directly the results apply across all groups.