Higher Risks of Stroke and Heart Disease Linked to Added Sugars

A new study on added sugars (also known as "free sugars") concluded they're bad for your health, reports NBC News. "The research, published in the journal BMC Medicine, found that diets higher in free sugars — a category that includes sugar added to processed foods and sodas, as well as that found in fruit juice and syrups — raise one's risk of heart disease and stroke." The study relied on data about the eating habits of more than 110,000 people ages 37 to 73 in the United Kingdom, whose health outcomes were then tracked over about nine years. The results suggested that each 5% increase in the share of a person's total energy intake that comes from free sugars was associated with a 6% higher risk of heart disease and a 10% higher risk of stroke. An author of the study, Cody Watling, a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, said the most common forms of sugar the study participants ate were "preserves and confectionary," with the latter category including cookies, sugary pastries and scones. Fruit juice, sugar-sweetened beverages and desserts were also common, he added.... The people found to have the highest risk of heart disease or stroke consumed about 95 grams of free sugar per day, or 18% of their daily energy intake, Watling said. By comparison, U.S. guidelines suggest that added sugars should make up no more than 10% of one's daily calories. "Avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages is probably the single most important thing we can be doing," said Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard University who was not involved in the study. Willett added that although there are some health benefits to drinking a small glass of orange juice occasionally, its sugar content means "a glass of fruit juice is the same thing as Coke...." The Oxford researchers found a positive relationship when it comes to fiber, unlike sugar intake: Consuming 5 grams of fiber a day was associated with a 4% lower risk of heart disease, the study suggested, although that did not hold true when researchers controlled for participants' body-mass indexes.... Watling said, the study demonstrates that the types of carbs people choose to eat may matter more than the total amount. "What's really important for overall general health and well-being is that we're consuming carbohydrates that are rich in whole grains," he said, while "minimizing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, as well any kind of confectionary products that have added sugars."BR> It's a point underscored by CNN: After over nine years of follow-up, the researchers found total carbohydrate intake wasn't associated with cardiovascular disease. But when they analyzed how outcomes differed depending on the types and sources of carbohydrates eaten, they found higher free sugar intake was associated with a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and greater waist circumference. The more free sugars some participants consumed, the greater their risk of cardiovascular disease, heart disease and stroke was.... "This study provides much needed nuance to public health discussions about the health effects of dietary carbohydrates," said Dr. Maya Adam, director of Health Media Innovation and clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, via email. Adam wasn't involved in the study. "The main takeaways are that all carbs are not created equal...." CNN adds that the mechanism seems to be that sugar intake "can promote inflammation," according to an assistant cardiology professor at Columbia's medical center. "This can cause stress on the heart and blood vessels, which can lead to increased blood pressure..."

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