A new study indicated that increased intakes of sugars from process and prepared foods may detrimentally affect your ‘good’ cholesterol.
Despite all the negativity directed toward sugar consumption, this is surprisingly the first study of its kind to examine a link between the consumption of added sugars and lipid measures.
Scientists from Emory University in Atlanta report that dietary sugar are boosting triglyceride levels, which has been linked to heart disease. Their data also shows that consumption of added sugars is also on the rise. The daily intake of sugars has increased by about 6 percent since late the late 1970s, with a whopping 15.8 per cent of calories now coming from added sugar. Back in 1977-78, the number was only 10.6 percent.
According to researcher Jean Welsh, “The results of our study demonstrate that increased added sugars are associated with important cardiovascular disease risk factors, including lower HDL-C levels, higher triglyceride levels, and higher ratios of triglycerides to HDL-C.”
Dr. Chad’s reaction
The mechanism leading to increased production of triglycerides when excess sugar is consumed is well documented in the literature, but very poorly utilized in clinical practice.
This study is further evidence that diet can play a major role in cardiovascular disease (which is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the US). Sugar sneaks into our diets through many sources, but the main one is soda/pop and other drinks (such as your ‘coffee’ that has a bunch of sugary syrups added to it). Another source is foods sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.
The naturopathic doctor recommends
Start looking at labels and eliminating foods that contain high fructose corn syrup and added sugar (look for things like corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, sucrose, dextrose, glucose, maltose, etc.).
You can also look on the label; in general, you should avoid foods that have more than 10-20 grams of sugar listed per serving (this number represents the total amount of simple sugars from all sources in the product).
The really simple solution is to stick to foods that don’t need a label – things like fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), raw nuts and seeds and healthy flesh proteins, such as fish.
Eating mainly these wholesome, real foods will insure that you don’t have to spend hours reading labels, looking at numbers or worrying about whether you are getting too much sugar. Instead, you can spend that time making delicious meals with family and friends, chewing your food and enjoying the peace of mind that comes with healthy eating.
Source article: