Oh delicious sugar, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… If we’re counting the ways, we may need to make a separate list for the health evils that sugar consumption induces. The latest? Sugar has been linked to increased cholesterol levels. A new study analyzed data from 6,113 respondents in the long-term National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999 to 2006) and found that people who reported eating lots of “processed foods with added sugar” were 200% more likely to have high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, 20% more likely to have high triglycerides and 60% more likely to have a high ratio of triglycerides to HDL (good) cholesterol, which is believed to be a key indicator of cardiac risk. That’s quite an ugly list.
Miriam Vos, MD, who conducted the study with her colleagues at Emory University (Atlanta), stated that this was the first one to look specifically at the effect of added sugars on cholesterol. Their reason for focusing specifically on processed foods and drinks is that these products contain substantially more sugar than the few teaspoons that most people sprinkle into their coffee. And, it appears, the amounts are enough to substantially raise cholesterol levels.
It’s important to point out that there are some limitations to the study. For instance, Dr. Vos says researchers did not evaluate any particular types of sugar separately (most in the study were beet or cane sugar or high-fructose corn syrup) but simply counted all caloric sweeteners added to packaged/processed foods. Also, processed foods may have other additives that weren’t accounted for and may play a role in raising cholesterol and blood fats.
Trading One Evil for Another…
Ironically, the public’s anxiety about fat is one reason that sugar levels are now so high, manufacturers of many processed foods reduced their fat content and made up for the lost flavor by dumping in more sugar. If you’re thinking, “Oh, I don’t eat all that much sugar” because you don’t eat many sweets, do try this at home: For several days, keep track of the sugar content in all of the foods you eat. You may be in for a surprise. Many of the cholesterol increasing foods are ones in which you wouldn’t anticipate finding sugar. They include bread, spaghetti sauce, soups, low-fat salad dressings, restaurant Chinese food, lunch meats and hot dogs. Americans eat an astonishing amount of these sugared-up items; would you believe nearly 16% of our total caloric intake? This percentage translates to almost 22 teaspoons of sugar a day from processed foods, with the biggest consumers of sugar ingesting a ridiculous 46 teaspoons a day! It’s incredibly easy to surpass the American Heart Association’s recommended daily maximum of 100 sugar calories (six teaspoons) for women and 150 (nine teaspoons) for men.
Acknowledging that many people find it difficult to make sweeping alterations to their diets, Dr. Vos suggests starting with easy changes that she calls “high-yield.” First on her list is to drink more water and put aside the soft drinks and sweetened ready-made teas. She also encourages noshing on fruit when you want something sweet. Best of all is to choose whole, fresh foods that have nothing added to them. “One-ingredient food is the way to go,” says Dr. Vos, and that, of course, describes food the way nature makes it. More processing means more additives and far less nutritional value.
Source(s):
Miriam Vos, MD, pediatric gastroenterologist and assistant professor of pediatrics, Emory University, Atlanta, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She is author of The No-Diet Obesity Solution for Kids (AGA Institute).
Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
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