Consuming sugar in tea or coffee probably doesn’t affect health, research suggests

Copenhagen: Researchers have claimed that adding sugar to tea or coffee is unlikely to have negative effects on our overall health.

According to the guidelines given by the National Health Services, the consumption of sugar in tea or coffee should be reduced until the consumption is completely eliminated. But a new study found no link between added sugar in drinks and an increased risk of diabetes and premature death.

In the study, Dutch, Danish and British scientists analyzed data from 2,923 men from the Copenhagen Mail Study (a study examining men since the 1970s). The study wasn’t clear on how much sugar these men added to their hot drinks, but overall, those who admitted to adding sugar to their coffee or tea were less likely to have health problems.

According to the study authors, there was no clear association between adding sugar to tea and coffee and death from any cause, death from cardiovascular causes, cancer or diabetes.

In the study, the scientists also assessed the heart and lung health of the participants and had them fill out lifestyle questionnaires.

Blood pressure, height and weight of these participants were measured during the doctor’s examination. While in one of the questionnaires, he was asked about drinking coffee and tea and adding sugar to the drink.

All subjects had no history of cardiovascular disease, cancer or type 2 diabetes at the time of study entry. Furthermore, the researchers only selected people who drank coffee or tea.