Sweet beverages and coffee increase chances of a stroke. To reduce risk, drink...

Sodas and fruit juices are loaded with sugar and health experts advise against consuming them in excess. A new study has now found that regular consumption of these drinks can increase your risk of stroke.

The discovery was part of new global research studies, co-led by the University of Galway in collaboration with McMaster University in Canada and an international network of stroke researchers.

Coffee is also likely to contribute to the risk if one consumes more than four cups of the beverage daily.

Researchers conducted two analyses of the INTERSTROKE research project, one on the effects of fizzy drinks, fruit juice/drink, and water and the other on tea and coffee.

The projects involved almost 27,000 people from 27 countries, of which nearly 13,500 people had experienced their first stroke.

The study found that fizzy drinks, either sweetened using sugar or artificially, such as DietCoke, increase the chances of a person suffering a stroke by 22 per cent. This risk goes up further if two or more drinks are consumed daily.

People living in Eastern/Central Europe and the Middle East, Africa, and South America were found to be at a higher risk than others.

Fruit juice was found to be made with concentrates and loaded with added sugars and preservatives, making them unhealthy and putting one at risk of a stroke.

They were linked to a 37 per cent increase in the chance of stroke due to bleeding (intracranial haemorrhage). The risk tripled when two such drinks were consumed in a day. Women were most at risk in this group.

Water and tea remove stroke risk

Water once again emerged as the saviour, with seven cups daily found to considerably reduce the chances of a stroke due to a blood clot.

Meanwhile, more than four cups of coffee a day increased the chance of stroke by 37 per cent, but lower intake was not linked to stroke. Tea emerged as the better option, reducing the chances of stroke by 18-20 per cent.

Black tea is advisable and is linked with a 29 per cent lower chance of stroke, with green tea also found to have health benefits.

However, adding milk to tea can cancel out the benefits associated with tea when it comes to stroke.