Study finds link between ‘free sugar’ intake and
cardiovascular disease SOURCE:https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/14/health/added-free-sugars-cardiovascular-disease-risk-wellness/index.html
Eating a lot of free sugars — also known as added sugars — might feel harmless
in the moment, but it could increase your risk for getting cardiovascular
disease, a new study has found.
Free sugars are those added during the processing of foods; packaged as
table sugar and other sweeteners; and naturally occurring in syrups, honey,
fruit juice, vegetable juice, purees, pastes and similar products in which the
cellular structure of the food has been broken down, according to the United
States Food and Drug Administration. They don’t include sugars naturally
occurring in dairy or structurally whole fruits and vegetables.
Previous studies have reported that links between carbohydrate consumption and
cardiovascular disease might depend on the quality, rather than the quantity, of
carbohydrates consumed, according to the new
study published Monday in the journal BMC Medicine.
To test that theory, the authors behind the latest research assessed diet and
health data from more than 110,000 people
who participated in UK Biobank, a cohort study that collected data
between 2006 and 2010 from more than 503,000 adults based in the United Kingdom.
People included in the new study participated in two to five 24-hour online
dietary assessments, logging their food and beverage intake multiple times
within each 24-hour period.
After over nine years of follow-up, the researchers found
total carbohydrate intake
wasn’t associated with
cardiovascular disease. But when they analyzed how outcomes differed
depending on the types and sources of carbohydrates eaten, they found higher free sugar intake was associated with a higher risk for
cardiovascular disease and greater waist circumference.
The more free sugars some participants consumed, the greater their risk of
cardiovascular disease, heart disease and stroke
was.
All heart diseases are cardiovascular disease, but cardiovascular disease is the
term for all types of diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels, such as
stroke, congenital heart defects and peripheral artery disease, according to
the US
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (PDF).
Higher intake of free sugars was also linked with higher concentrations of triglycerides —
a type of fat that comes from butter, oils and other
fats people eat, plus extra calories their bodies don’t immediately
need. Having high triglyceride levels — defined
as more than 150 milligrams per deciliter — can increase risk for heart
diseases such as coronary artery disease.
“This study provides much needed nuance to public health discussions about the
health effects of dietary carbohydrates,” said Dr. Maya Adam, director of Health
Media Innovation and clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Stanford
University School of Medicine, via email. Adam wasn’t involved in the study.
“The main takeaways are that all carbs are not created equal.”
Free sugars vs. sugar in whole foods
The link between higher free sugar intake and cardiovascular disease risk lies
in the differences between how the body metabolizes free sugar versus sugar in
whole foods.
“Added sugar intake can promote inflammation in the body, and this can cause
stress on the heart and blood vessels, which can lead to increased blood
pressure,” said Brooke Aggarwal, assistant professor of medical sciences in the
cardiology division at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Aggarwal
wasn’t involved in the study.
“Added sugars are often found in processed foods which have little nutritional
value and may lead to overeating and excess calorie intake, which in turn leads
to overweight/obesity, a well-established risk factor for heart disease,”
Aggarwal said via email.
Based on their findings, the authors suggest replacing free sugars with non-free
sugars naturally occurring in whole fruits and vegetables to lower your risk of
developing cardiovascular disease — and experts in nutrition and cardiovascular
health agree.
“Whole food carbohydrates take longer to break down into simple sugars, and a
part of them — the fiber — can’t be broken down at all,” Adam added. “This means
that whole, intact grains don’t cause the same spikes in blood sugar that we
experience when we eat simple sugars. Blood sugar spikes trigger insulin spikes,
which can destabilize our blood glucose and … be the underlying cause of health
problems in the long run.”
Additionally, the fiber in whole food carbohydrates acts as an “internal scrub
brush” when it passes through the digestive system, Adam added. “That’s why,
generally speaking, we need a certain amount of these ‘good carbs’ in our diets
to stay healthy.”
Total fiber intake should be at least 25 grams daily, according to the
FDA.
Reducing free sugar intake
Awareness is the first step toward reducing your intake of free sugars, so look
at nutrition labels when shopping, said CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an
emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University.
Wen wasn’t involved in the study.
“Many times, people think about cutting calories or not consuming fatty foods,
but they may not be aware of the dangers of free sugars,” Wen said.
“When we buy packaged foods — even the ones we don’t think of as being sweet
like bread, breakfast cereals, flavored yoghurts or condiments — these foods
usually have plenty of added sugar, and it adds up,” Adam said.
Cut back on sugary drinks and go for water sweetened with fruit slices instead,
Aggarwal suggested. Have fresh or frozen fruit for dessert instead of cakes,
cookies or ice cream. Foods with higher fiber content can also help you stay
fuller longer, she added.
Cooking and baking at home more often is one of the best ways to reduce sugar in
your diet, Adam said.
“The American
Heart Association recommends that added sugars make up less than 6% of
calories per day, which works out to about 6 teaspoons of sugar per day for
women, and 9 teaspoons per day for men,” Aggarwal said.
Lastly, efforts to change your diet shouldn’t only happen in the kitchen or
grocery store. “Aim to get at least seven to eight hours of good quality sleep
per night, as we tend to choose
foods higher in sugar when we’re tired,”
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