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26 April 2010

Added sugar bad for your heart?

Sugar added to processed food and drinks is linked to an increase in blood fat levels, according to new research from the USA.

Scientists studied the diets of over 6,000 American adults who took part in a national health and nutrition survey between 1999 and 2006.

The researchers recorded everything the participants ate and drank over a 24-hour period. For some of the participants this was done twice, to give a better idea of their usual diet. The nutritional content of the food and drink they consumed during this time was analysed and the amount of added sugar included in their diet was calculated.

Advice to reduce sugar intake applies to almost everyone, regardless of this additional piece of research.

Dr Annabel Bentley, Assistant Medical Director, Bupa

The levels of blood fats, including high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides, in the participants' blood were measured.

If you have high LDL cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels and low HDL cholesterol levels in your blood, you are said to have dyslipidemia. This increases your risk of atherosclerosis, and in turn your risk of heart disease and stroke.

When analysing the relationship between consumption of added sugars and blood fat levels, the researchers took other factors that may have had an effect into account. This included the participants' age, sex, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, level of physical activity, alcohol consumption, intake of other nutrients and whether they smoked.

The researchers found that, on average, HDL cholesterol levels were lower and triglyceride levels were higher in those who ate larger amounts of added sugars. They also found a higher ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol in these people. There was no association found between LDL cholesterol levels and added sugar consumption.

In light of these results, the researchers suggest that people who consume large amounts of food and drinks containing added sugars may be more at risk of dyslipidemia. However, this study does not show a link between eating added sugars and the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Commenting on the study, Bupa's Assistant Medical Director, Dr Annabel Bentley, said: "This research shows a link between a high-sugar diet and blood fat levels, which are a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Research on diet and health is difficult to do and this study gives us a few more clues to our understanding. The harm from a high-sugar diet is already known; it rots your teeth and may make you overweight or obese. Advice to reduce sugar intake applies to almost everyone, regardless of this additional piece of research."

Key facts
    • Cholesterol is a type of fat (lipid) made by your body.
    • LDL cholesterol forms fatty deposits within your coronary arteries when it builds up in your blood. This process is called atherosclerosis and it can cause heart disease and stroke.
    • HDL cholesterol carries excess cholesterol out of your blood to your liver, where it is processed and then removed from your body.
    • Triglycerides are a different type of fat. Energy from the food you eat that is not used immediately, is converted into triglycerides and transported to fat cells for storage.
    • Although most triglycerides are stored as fat, low levels are found in your blood. A raised level of triglycerides in your blood can be harmful.
    • Added sugars are sweeteners used by the food industry as ingredients in processed and prepared foods. Sugar is added to many types of food, including fizzy drinks, sweets, biscuits, cakes, pastries and ice cream.
    • When buying processed food and drinks, look for labels stating 'no added sugar'. Sugars are also found naturally in foods such as fruit and milk, but you don't need to cut down on these types of sugar.

Related information

Read the study

Welsh JA, Sharma A, Abramson JL et al. Caloric sweetener consumption and dislipidemia among US adults. JAMA 2010; 303(15):1490-97. doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.449

 

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