HypertensionCohort study
Consumption of Fructose-Containing Food and Beverage Sources in Childhood Through to Adulthood and Risk of Hypertension: A Prospective Cohort Study
- Prospective cohort study
- longitudinal
- multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression
- substitution modelling
Authors' conclusion
SSB and fruit juice intakes were positively associated with a higher risk of hypertension independently of overall diet quality, physical activity, and other factors.
Study context
- Population
- Children and adolescents followed into adulthood (GUTS; mean age 12 years at enrollment, 36 years at end of follow-up), baseline 1996 and 2004, followed through 202155% female
- Participants
- 25,749 children
- Exposure
- Highest intake vs Lowest intake
- Outcome
- Incident hypertension
- Follow-up
- Up to 25 years
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Hazard ratio (95% CI)P value
Highest quintile vs Lowest quintiletotal fructose; not associated
1.07(0.92–1.25)
P < 0.001for trendHighest intake (≥2 servings/d) vs <3 servings/weekSSBs
1.52(1.27–1.83)
P < 0.001for trendHighest intake (≥1.5 servings/d) vs <1 serving/wkfruit juice
1.35(1.06–1.71)
P = 0.018for trendHighest category vs Lowest categorywhole fruit; not associated
0.79(0.59–1.05)
P = 0.08for trend- Participants reporting a hypertension diagnosis
- 1625 (6.3%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Hypertension risk with substitution of 1 serving/d of SSB
- SSB replaced with milk: lower risk
- 13% (95% CI, 5%, 20%)
- SSB replaced with water: lower risk
- 9% (95% CI, 3%, 15%)
- SSB replaced with whole fruit: lower risk
- 22% (95% CI, 11%, 31%)
Hypertension risk with substitution of fruit juice by whole fruit
- Fruit juice replaced with whole fruit: lower risk
- 19% (95% CI, 3%, 32%)
Original publication
Consumption of Fructose-Containing Food and Beverage Sources in Childhood Through to Adulthood and Risk of Hypertension: A Prospective Cohort Study. Circulation. Published 22 June 2026. doi:10.1161/circulationaha.125.077666
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it