Eating a diet that is high in refined sugar affects heart health adversely over time. Sure, it is fun to eat sweets but, according to a new study, doing this too often daily can lead to heart disease in the future.
The study examined the effects of a high sugar diet on certain blood markers that are regarded as a risk for heart disease. A high daily consumption of sugar was shown to cause an increase in triglycerides and a decrease in helpful lipoproteins and HDL, all risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease.
6000 Adults were surveyed and classified by blood studies and sugar intake. They were asked about their diets. It was found that 16% of their daily calories were from sugar, on average, a level considered to be very high.
On the higher end of the spectrum of sugar eaters, the participants ate up to 46 teaspoons of sugar daily. On the other end, some people were found to use only 3 teaspoons daily.
Our bodies need sugar and we can get what we need from a natural diet rich in fresh fruits. But that kind of sugar is healthy. Sucrose, or processed sugar from the sugar cane and high fructose corn syrup are the unhealthy sugars that this study points to. For those refined sugars, women can safely consume up to 3 teaspoons daily and men up to 9 teaspoons in a day.
Many processed food companies add sugar, sometimes in large amounts, to the foods they produce. Hopefully studies like these will have some influence on this, motivating manufacturers to decrease sugar in the foods they sell. Some states have made efforts to combat the high rate of obesity by taxing soft drinks, aspiring to discourage use.
The average person consumes 50 gallons of soda annually. This could potentially be reduced to 40 gallons annually by adding only a half-cent sales tax, according to estimates.
There are other health problems related to a high sugar diet. All too common diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and definitely obesity also stem from this dietary habit. One thing we can do for our health and to improve our quality of lives is to change our dietary habits. This starts with cutting out all that excess sugar.
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