Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in relation to stroke: a case-control study.

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have recently received great attention in the field of diet-disease relations. Limited data are available linking SSBs intake to the risk of stroke. This study was conducted to examine the association between habitual intake of SSBs and risk of stroke among Iranian population. This hospital-based case-control study was conducted in Alzahra University Hospital, Iran. Cases were stroke patients and controls were selected among hospitalized patients without prior history of stroke. A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the usual intakes of SSBs. Total intake of SSBs was not significantly different between cases and controls (48.2 ± 6.2 vs. 47.2 ± 6.2 g/day, p = 0.90). After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds ratios for stroke across increasing tertiles of SSB consumption were 1.00, 0.84 (95% CI: 0.46-1.54) and 0.85 (0.43-1.66) (p(trend) = 0.12). No statistically significant association was found between habitual intakes of SSBs and stroke.