-A Big CDC Study Finds Fatal risks-
Can consuming too much sugar be deadly? The biggest study of its kind suggests that is is possible, at least when it comes to fatal heart problems. It doesn’t take all that much extra sugar, mostly hidden in many processed foods, to significantly raise the risk. The researchers found that most
Americans consume more than the safest amount.
Example: If you eat a cinnamon roll with your morning coffee, a super size sugary soda with your lunch, and a scoop of ice cream after dinner, these actions would put you in the highest risk category. This means that you have tripled your chance of dying prematurely of heart problems over those
who eat foods with very little added sugar.
Someone who normally eats 2000 calories daily, consuming just two 12 ounce cans of soda substantially increases the risk. For most American adults, the main source of added sugar comes from consuming sodas and sugary drinks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called the
results sobering and cited that this is the first nationally representative study to examine the issue. Scientists aren’t exactly certain how sugar contributes to fatal heart problems, but is has been shown to increase blood pressure and levels of unhealthy cholesterol and triglycerides and increase signs of inflammation linked with heart disease.
The study analyzed national health surveys taken from 1988 to 2010 that included questions about people’s diets. The authors used national death data to calculate risks of dying during 15 years of follow-up. More than 30,000 American adults with the average age of 44 were involved.
Previous studies linked diets high in sugar with increased risks for non fatal heart problems and with obesity, which can also lead to heart trouble. In the new study, obesity didn’t explain the link between sugary diets and death. That link was found even in normal-weight people who consumed
excessive amounts of added sugar.
According to Laura Schmidt, a health-policy specialist at University of California, San Francisco “Too much sugar does not just make us fat; it can also make us sick”.
The researchers focused on sugar added to processed foods and drinks or sprinkled in coffee and cereal. Even foods that didn’t taste sweet have
added sugar. These included many brands of packaged bread, tomato
sauce and salad dressings. Fruit and other foods with naturally occurring
sugar wasn’t counted.
Most health experts agree that too much sugar isn’t healthy, but there is
no consensus on how much is too much.
U.S. government guidelines issued in 2010 say “empty” calories, including
those from added sugars should not account for more than 15% of total
daily calories.
The average number of daily calories from added sugar was about 15%
toward the end of the study, which was slightly lower than in previous
years.
The authors divided participants into five categories based on sugar intake,
from less than 10 percent of daily calories, the safest amount, to more than
25 percent. Most adults exceeded the safest level. For one in ten adults,
added sugar accounts for at least 25 percent of daily calories the researchers
said.
The researchers said they had death data on almost 12,000 adults, including
831 who died of heart disease during the 15-year follow-up. They took into
consideration other factors known to contribute to heart problems such as
smoking, inactivity, and excess weight, and still found risks for sugar.
As sugar intake increased, risks climbed substantially. Adults who got at least
25 percent of their calories from added sugar were almost three times as likely
to die of heart problem as those who consumed the least. (less than 10 percent)
For those who got more than 15 percent- or the equivalent of two cans of sugary
soda out of 2000 calories daily, the risk was almost 20 percent higher than the safest level.
Sugar calories add up quickly: One teaspoon has about 16 calories; one 12
ounce can of non-diet soda contains about 9 teaspoons of sugar, or about 140
calories. Many cinnamon rolls have about 13 teaspoons of sugar; one scoop of ice cream has about 5 teaspoons of sugar.
Although the research doesn’t prove “sugar can cause you to die of a heart attack”,
it adds to a growing body of circumstantial evidence suggesting that limiting
sugar intake can lead to healthier, longer lives.
Lindsey Tanner, Associated Press
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