A
recent experimental study has found that in as little as two weeks regular
consumption of significant calories from
corn syrup worsens metabolic indicators of heart disease risk. The results of this research trial reinforce
findings from many epidemiological studies that indicate, independent of weight,
the risk of cardiovascular disease increases as the amount of added sugar
consumed increases,.
In
the trial, 85 healthy adults ages 18-40 who did not regularly consume soda were
randomized to four different treatment groups.
One group was given diet soda sweetened with aspartame (Equal), while
the others consumed beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup
comprising 10%, 17.5% or 25% of their total daily calorie requirements. After
being on the prescribed sugar intakes for two weeks, the diet soda group did
not have any changes in their blood levels of heart health risk. However, all the sugar drinking groups had
marked increases in cardiac risk. LDL
cholesterol, triglyceride, apolipoprotein-B (a protein that increases plaques
on blood vessels, leading to vascular disease), increased in all groups on the
sugary drink regimen. And, across the
sample, those who consumed the higher levels of sugar had the greatest changes
in heart health risk factors. This small
study is one of the first to demonstrate a direct, dose-dependent relationship
between the amount of added sugar consumed in sweetened beverages and increases
in cardiovascular disease risk. In the
17.5% and 25% sugar-calories treatments, levels of uric acid which causes gout
and also impacts heart health also increased. The researchers noted that the
increases in unhealthy proteins and fats in the blood were greater in men than
in women and the changes in heart health risk factors were independent of body
weight gain.
The
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 suggest an upper limit of 25% or less of
daily calories consumed as added sugar while the American Heart Association (AHA)
and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend people get no more than 5% of
total daily calories from added sugars. For someone on a 2,000-calorie diet,
that's about 100 sugar calories or six teaspoons a day, the amount of sugar in
a typical 6-ounce serving of vanilla yogurt or 8-ounces of soda. The results of the current study indicate
that intake at the 25% limit does impact health and that total sugar
consumption is best kept near the limits set by the AHA and WHO. Currently, the average American adult
consumes around 16% of daily calories (approximately 20 teaspoons of sugar for
a 2,000 calorie diet) from added sugars.
What to do: Take stock of the sugar and other caloric
sweeteners in your diet. Aim to cut out
all sweetened drinks including juice.
These are high in sugar, mostly devoid of nutrients, and do not help to fill
us up. Many foods that are often
considered healthy such as granola, cereal, flavored yogurt, snack bars, canned
fruit, sauces, and flavored oatmeal are high in added sugars. When you do have a sweet, control the portion
and savor it.
Sources:
Stanhope
KL, Bremer AA, Medici V, et al. A
dose-response study of consuming high-fructose corn syrup–sweetened beverages
on lipid/lipoprotein risk factors for cardiovascular disease in young adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
April 2015. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.114.100461
Rizkalla
SW. Health implications of fructose
consumption: A review of recent data. Nutrition &
Metabolism. 2010;7:82. DOI: 10.1186/1743-7075-7-82
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