The Risks of High Sugar Diets

The Risks of High Sugar Diets

We all love to eat sweets from time to time. Yet there are many of us who eat high sugar foods too frequently and this can lead to an increased risk for heart disease, according to a recent study.

This study reveals that people who incorporate extra sugar into their diets on a regular basis have a tendency to develop changes in their blood that contribute to heart disease. Changes observed in the blood lipids included elevated triglycerides, decreases in beneficial lipoproteins including HDL, or High Density Lipoprotein cholesterol.

Among the participants in the study, an average of 16% of the calories in their daily diets came from sugar. 6000 adults took part in the study which surveyed their daily dietary habits and then grouped them by cholesterol levels and sugar intake.

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.

There are healthy sugars found in many foods naturally, such as fruits and some starchy vegetables and honey. Refined sugar is the real problem. There are maximum recommendations for daily intake of refined sugars. Women should take no more than six teaspoons daily and men use no more than nine teaspoons per day.

With this obvious link between high sugar intake and increased risk for heart disease made public, hopefully the manufacturers of processed foods will reduce or remove refined sugar from their foods. In response to a high obesity population, some states have responded by taxing sodas in order 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.

This study clarifies how eating too much sugar contributes to risks for heart disease, but that isn't the only damage such a diet can lead to. High sugar diets are also linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and increased risk of stroke. So there are serious reasons to decrease sugar intake.