Added Sugars in Foods, Drinks Up Heart Disease

ATLANTAAdded sugars in processed foods and beverages may increase cardiovascular disease risk factors, including higher triglyceride levels and higher ratios of triglycerides to HDL-C, according to a new study from Emory University.

The study, published in the April 20, 2010, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), analyzed U.S. government nutritional data and blood lipid levels in more than 6,000 adult men and women between 1999 and 2006. The study subjects were divided into five groups according to the amount of added sugar and caloric sweeteners they consumed daily.

Researchers found that people who consumed more added sugar were more likely to have higher cardiovascular disease risk factors, including higher triglyceride levels and higher ratios of triglycerides to HDL-C, or good cholesterol.

"Just like eating a high-fat diet can increase your levels of triglycerides and high cholesterol, eating sugar can also affect those same lipids," said study co-author Miriam Vos, MD, MSPH, assistant professor of pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine.

In the study, the highest-consuming group consumed an average of 46 teaspoons of added sugars per day. The lowest-consuming group consumed an average of only about 3 teaspoons daily.

The study, "Caloric Sweetener Consumption and Dyslipidemia Among U.S. Adults," was published in the April 20, 2010, issue of JAMA. It is the first study of its kind to examine the association between the consumption of added sugars and lipid measures, such as HDL-C, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The study did not look at natural sugars found in fruit and fruit juices, only added sugars and caloric sweeteners.