Researchers at Emory University, Atlanta, USA, have shown that foods and beverages with high levels of added sugars – already implicated in contributing to obesity and type 2 diabetes – not only lower blood levels of HDL cholesterol (the "good cholesterol") but increase levels of LDL cholesterol (the "bad" one) and triglycerides, known risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
This is the first study to link increased sugar consumption with blood levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).
“In the United States, total consumption of sugar has increased substantially in recent decades, largely owing to an increased intake of "added sugars," caloric sweeteners used by the food industry and consumers as ingredients in processed or prepared foods to increase the desirability of these foods,” said lead author of the study, nursing PhD student Jean A. Welsh.
Sugar Consumption Much Higher than 30 Years Ago
Ms Welsh and her colleagues, including her supervisor, Professor Miriam Vos, studied 6,113 adults responding to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2006.
Respondents were grouped according to how much sugar they consumed as part of their total diet – five percent to less than 10 percent, 10 percent to less than 17.5 percent, 17.5 percent to less than 25 percent, and 25 percent or more of total calories.
Looking at the responses, they found that that the average daily consumption of sugars was a staggering 3.2 ounces (21.4 teaspoonsful), equalling 359 calories. This represents 15.8 percent of the total average daily caloric intake.
“This figure represents a substantial increase from 1977-1978, when added sugars contributed only 10.6 percent of the calories consumed by adults,” the authors write in their article, Caloric Sweetener Consumption and Dyslipidemia Among US Adults, published in the April 21, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
High Sugar Consumption Increases Cardiovascular Risks
As well as assessing the amount of sugars consumed daily by respondents, the researchers also assessed their HDL-C, LDL-C and triglyceride levels to see if there was a link between high sugar consumption and increased cardiovascular risk factors.
In the groups consuming the highest amounts of sugar – those with over 17.5 percent of their total calories from sugar – average HDL-C levels were considerably lower than in the general population, while their LDL-C and triglyceride levels were substantially higher.
Even those eating relatively small amounts of sugar – less than five percent of their total calorie count – had lower than average levels of HDL-C and higher levels of LDL-C and triglycerides
“There was a statistically significant correlation between dietary added sugars and blood lipid levels among US adults,” Ms. Welsh and colleagues reported.
Watch Out for Added Sugars in Processed Foods and Drinks
In view of this direct link between high sugar intake and increased dangerous lipids and triglycerides in the blood, the researchers suggested a need for more monitoring of added sugars in processed foods and beverages.
“Monitoring trends in consumption and understanding the effect added sugars have on risk of cardiovascular and other diseases is critically important, because added sugars are a potentially modifiable source of calories,” the authors wrote in their JAMA article.
“Added sugars are food additives that can be recognized by consumers and have been proposed for specific labelling on food and beverage packaging.”
Cut Down on Sugars to Protect CV Health
There are simple steps consumers can take to reduce the amount of sugar in their daily diet. The first step is to read the labels on all processed foods, and only choose those with no or low levels of added sugar, especially from high-fructose corn syrup.
Avoid soda drinks, which generally have high levels of sugar and are nutritionally empty calories. Replace them with water, iced tea or diluted fruit juice.
Home cooks can reduce the amount of sugar used in cakes, cookies and desserts, reduce or eliminate frosting, and pour less syrup on pancakes and biscuits.
You might also be interested to read Oatmeal to Lower Your Cholesterol, Cardioprotective Benefits of Weekly Fatty Fish, and Reduce Type 2 Diabetes with Lifestyle Changes.
Sue Cartledge - I'm a science, health, nutrition and lifestyle journalist, fascinated by the way the physical world operates in all its forms, and how ...
Join the Conversation