How does sugar raise heart disease risk?

How Does Sugar Raise Heart Disease Risk

Eating too much added sugar may increase the risk of heart disease, according to a new study released Tuesday in the April 20, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study led by Miriam Vos, MD, MSPH and colleagues from the Emory School of Medicine,  showed that high intake of sugar increased heart disease risk factors, such as blood lipid or triglycerides, resulting in an unfavorable ratio of blood lipid to good cholesterol.

The study was not a trial, meaning that eating sugar may not necessarily be the cause for the increased risk of heart disease, even though the possibility can not be excluded.

Dr. Frank Hu and Malik V.S. at Harvard School of Public Health provided some possible reasons to explain why eating added sugar or drinking sugar sweetened beverages increases obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk.

In an article in the April 2010 issue of Physiology and Behavior, Hu and Malik explained that sugar may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease by increasing a high dietary glycemic load, ultimately leading to inflammation, insulin resistance and impaired beta-cell function.

They also pointed out that fructose exerts additional metabolic e, thus promoting the accumulation of visceral adiposity and increasing hepatic de nono lipogenesis and hypertension due to hyperuricemia.

Sugar sweetened beverages are major contributors of added sugar in Americans' diet.  They include soft drinks, carbonated soft drinks, fruitades, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy and vitamin water drinks, sweetened iced tea, cordial, squashes, and lemonade.

Media reports say Americans eat too much sugar.  

The AHA Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism and the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention recommends that women should consume no more than 100 calories (25 grams) each day from added sugar and men no more than 150 calories (37.5 grams) per day.

David Liu and editing by Rachel Stockton