Sugary drinks significantly increase a person’s risk of stroke, heart failure, irregular heartbeat and other heart health problems, results showed. But adding honey to a bowl of oatmeal or eating an occasional sweet pastry doesn’t appear to drastically harm heart health, and in some cases might improve it, researchers found.

Research published in Frontiers in Public Health indicates that occasionally consuming sweet snacks might be better for heart health than completely avoiding them. Regular consumption of sugary drinks significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Research published in "Frontiers in Public Health" indicates that occasional consumption of sweet snacks may be better for heart health than completely avoiding sweets. However, regular consumption of sugary drinks significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Sugary drinks increase heart risks, but a new study finds occasional sweet treats might surprisingly benefit cardiovascular health.