Summer 2010: Of Note

Hidden sugars, higher heart risk

By Mary J. Loftus

Put down the sweet tea and back away slowly.

It seems that high-fat foods aren’t the only culinary culprits. Those of us who eat and drink lots of processed, sugar-added foods and beverages have more risk of cardiovascular disease as well, according to Emory researchers.

Nutritional data and blood lipid levels were analyzed for seven years in about six thousand adult men and women, who were divided into five groups according to the amount of added sugar and caloric sweeteners they consumed daily. Those who ate and drank more added sugars showed a higher level of cardiovascular disease risk factors, says study coauthor Miriam Vos, assistant professor of pediatrics and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta physician.

Consumption of sugar has skyrocketed in recent decades, largely due to increased intake of “added sugars”—caloric sweeteners used by the food industry and cooks as ingredients in processed or prepared foods to make them more palatable.

The study was published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.