Experts pinpoint exact number of weekly sweet treats that’s ‘safe’ for your heart – as study shows small amounts do you good

Eating two small chocolate bars a day could be better for your heart health than avoiding sweet treats altogether, a Swedish study suggests.

Researchers tracked the cardiovascular outcomes of 70,000 Swedes — along their snacking habits — and found abstinence from sugary foods increased the risk of heart attack. 

Those who had up to 14 treats per week lowered their chance of stroke by a sixth and had about a fifth lower chance of a heart attack compared to those who had less than two such over seven days.

Similar positive heart outcomes were also observed for other cardiovascular health issues such as aneurysms, heart failure and an irregular heartbeat. 

Medics have long warned that diets high in sugar can increase the risk of heart disease due to the calorie-dense sweet stuff raising the chances of becoming overweight or obese. 

This is why the NHS advises British adults to only have 30g of added sugar per day — equivalent to about seven sugar cubes — with children recommended to have even less. 

Presenting their findings in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, the authors explained the apparent protective powers of treats could be a sign of other unhealthy factors going on in the lives of those who shunned them.

Lead author Suzanne Janzi of Lund University said: ‘Individuals consuming very little sugar might have very restrictive diets or could be limiting sugar due to pre-existing health conditions.’

She added that the findings suggested that having too few sugars in a diet could also increase the risk of heart problems like heart attack and stroke. 

‘While our observational study cannot establish causation, these findings suggest that extremely low sugar intake may not be necessary or beneficial for cardiovascular health,’ she said. 

However, the study also found high intake of some sugar sources was linked to poorer heart health.

Consuming sugar-laden drinks like sodas more than eight times a week increased the risk of suffering an aneurysm in the heart by almost a third, heart failure or stroke by nearly a fifth and a 10 per cent higher risk of an irregular heartbeat.

Ms Janzi said this could be linked to such drinks making people feel hungrier, leading them to consume more calories overall. 

‘Liquid sugars, found in sweetened beverages, typically provide less satiety than solid forms — they make you feel less full — potentially leading to overconsumption,’ she said.

‘Context also matters — treats are often enjoyed in social settings or special occasions, while sweetened beverages might be consumed more regularly.’

The study was based on two dietary surveys conducted on participants, who had an average age of 60 and who were, on average, overweight, in 1997 and 2009.

Participants were asked what form of sugar they consumed, such as fizzy drinks or treats, and how often per week. 

Participants were then tracked until they either died, were diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease, or until study ended in 2019.

At the conclusion, almost 26,000 participants had been diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease.

The authors didn’t detail the exact grams of treats they considered as a ‘serving’.

However, they referenced previous studies as the basis of what foods could be considered sweet treats which listed a serving as 60g for pastries, sweets and chocolate and 75g for ice cream. 

For context a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut is about 51g and a Kit-Kat 4 Finger Milk Chocolate Bar is 41.5g.

The study did have limitations, including the fact it was observational, meaning it cannot prove if cardiovascular outcomes were directly caused or prevented by sugar consumption.

Additionally, the dietary information was obtained by survey meaning it relied on people accurately recording what form of sugar they had and how often, which has the potential for human error.