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By: Ranbir Sharma
By: Ranbir Sharma
Sugar, just the word brings joyful thoughts of all the wonderful treats it is a part of. The number of cakes and pastries and candies and breads, sugar is a part of almost any and every sweet treat we eat.
Sugar occurs naturally in all foods that have carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy products. Eating these foods is essential. Plant foods that have essential minerals, antioxidants and high amounts of fiber, and dairy that contains important proteins and calcium is a part of a healthy diet. Since the body processes these foods slowly, it provides a steady source of energy to the cells.
It is the “added sugar” that we should be careful about. This is the sugar that is added to foods to increase their flavour or as preservatives. In the American diet, the top sources are soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavoured yogurts, cereals, cookies, candies, cakes and most processed foods ( The sweet danger of sugar- Harvard Men’s Health watch https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar). Added sugar is also hidden in items you might never think of, like soups, bread and ketchup, and meats. As a result we consume way too much sugar. A sugar-laden diet may raise your risk of dying of heart disease even if you aren’t overweight. So says a major study published in JAMA Medicine (Eating too much added sugar increases the risk of dying with heart disease, By Julie Corliss, Harvard Heart Letter; https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/eating-too-much-added-sugar-increases-the-risk-of-dying-with-heart-disease-201402067021).
In a study published in JAMA in 2014, over the course of 15 years, people who got 17% to 21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who consumed 8% of their calories as added sugar (The sweet danger of sugar, Harvard Men’s Health Watch https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar ).
Eating too much sugar can cause havoc on your blood lipid levels. Adults eating large amounts of sugar are more prone to having low good HDL cholesterol levels. Scientists have also discovered a link between eating more sugar and higher triglyceride levels.
Sugar may be worse for your blood pressure than salt. Open Journal, an academic publication on heart health recently released a study determining that a high-sucrose diet has the potential to cause both systolic and diastolic blood pressure to skyrocket, (4 Reasons Why Too Much Sugar Increases Heart Disease Risks, Augusta Health: https://www.augustahealth.com/health-focused/4-reasons-why-too-much-sugar-increases-heart-disease-risks ).
Agreed, sugar tastes great and it is hard to turn down tasty treats but moderation should be the key. You do not have to give up sugary treats forever but your heart will thank you for making healthy choices.
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