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Blog author, Solai Buchanan is an experienced Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator with an MS from Columbia Teachers College. She specializes in treating heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, polycystic ovarian syndrome,and other chronic diseases. She is a provider at a full-service cardiology practice accepting most insurance and staffed with a primary care MD, pediatrician, and cardiologist. Call: 718.894.7907. NYCC is lead by Interventional Cardiologist Sanjeev Palta, MD, FSCAI, FACC. He trained at Cornell-Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and the State University Hospital of Brooklyn. He currently is an Attending Cardiologist at New York Methodist Hospital and Maimonides Medical Center. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Having performed over 2000 invasive cardiac procedures Dr. Palta’s patients know they are in trusted hands.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

HEART DISEASE RISK FACTORS INCREASED BY HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP CONSUMPTION


A recent study found that heart health risk factors significantly increased after only two weeks on a diet in which one-fourth of the calories came from high fructose corn syrup.  Researchers fed healthy weight and overweight adults a weight-maintenance diet in which one fourth of the calories came from either glucose, fructose, or high-fructose corn syrup (the sweetener widely found in sodas and other sweetened drinks).  After two weeks on the treatments with fructose and high-fructose corn syrup, levels of substances in the blood associated with heart disease, including LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein-B, were significantly higher.  In contrast, the glucose treatment did not increase heart health risk factors.

"While there is evidence that people who consume high amounts of sugar are more likely to have heart disease or diabetes, it is controversial as to whether high sugar diets may actually promote these diseases” said the study's senior author, Dr. Kimber Stanhope.  While it is unknown why fructose caused increases in heart health risk factors, researchers hypothesize its damaging effects may be due to the fact that it must first be processed by the liver before the body’s cells can use it for fuel.

What to do:  While findings on the health effects of consuming a lot of high-fructose corn syrup versus a lot of sugar (sugar is a combination of fructose and glucose) are yet to be fully understood, there is no question that diets high in caloric sweeteners are associated with weight gain and worse health outcomes. The American Heart Association recommends that people consume only 5% of calories (i.e. about 75-125 calories depending on caloric needs) as added sweeteners.  Most Americans consume 3-5 times as much sweetener-based calories. Try to choose products made without out added sugars (watch out for sweetened cereals, juices, sauces, and yogurts) and to limit sweets to a couple of times a week.

Information adapted from report at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/231939.php
Posted by Solai Buchanan, MS, RD, CDE & Sanjeev Palta, MD, FACC at 12:41 PM

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