Refined sugar is bad for the heart

More and more research shows that fats are not the greatest threat to our health, but that the greatest health hazard comes from refined sugar. One can eat and drink enormous amounts of refined sugar without becoming full. This sugar consists of ”empty” calories: it only contains energy and no essential nutrients. Research published by JAMA Internal Medicine and Harvard now suggests that there is also a direct relationship between sugar consumption and cardiovascular disease.

Why is sugar unhealthy?

Today people are eating fewer calories but more refined sugar. However, refined sugars are empty calories: they contain no nutrients that the body necessarily needs. This means: no vitamins, fiber, minerals, proteins or other essential nutrients. It only contains quick energy, but energy (sugars and carbohydrates) can be found in almost any other food. As a result, refined sugar is absolutely not essential in a daily diet, although the labels on Coke bottles sometimes suggest otherwise.

Because sugar causes the glucose level in the blood to rise and insulin production to increase, sugar can be harmful to people at risk of diabetes, people with diabetes and people with metabolic syndrome. In addition, sugar ensures that fats are not converted into energy because sugar is given priority in energy combustion. Excess sugar is stored in the liver and converted into fat. These fats can be harmful to the liver and cause disease. Sugar also leads to more sugar consumption because the calories are burned up within half an hour of ingestion and the body then needs sugar again to get back into the ”sugar’s high”. After all, sugar can also cause stress.

Research into sugar and cardiovascular disease

”People who consumed about 15% of their daily calories from added sugar had a 18% higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared to people who only took in very little added sugar. For people whose added sugar intake made up over 21% of their daily calories, their risk of death doubled.”

– Forbes in response to JAMA research)

This study, published on the official JAMA Internal Medicine website, suggests a direct link between sugar consumption and cardiovascular disease. The above statistic is also independent of other factors such as gender, weight and cholesterol. This indicates that there is a strong link between increased sugar consumption and heart problems. According to the official Harvard site, it is not true that simply not eating vegetables can cause heart problems. It is really only the sugar that causes heart disease, regardless of whether the otherwise healthy and vitamin-rich diet was eaten. Mainly by drinking sugary drinks such as Cola and Fanta, too much sugar can quickly be absorbed.

Explanations of the relationship between sugar and cardiovascular disease.

There is no direct scientific explanation yet about the relationship between sugar consumption and cardiovascular disease. However, Harvard’s official health site and Forbes do offer suggestions. First of all, blood pressure is increased. As a result, unhealthy fats are stored in the liver and ”healthy” HDL cholesterol is burned. Other studies indicate that too much sugar can create inflammation that can also affect the heart. Finally, sugar may fuel the genetic effects of obesity. Overweight people develop higher blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and a greater risk of diabetes. This increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
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How much sugar can you eat?

According to the American Heart Association, for health reasons, women should eat only six teaspoons of sugar per day and men should eat a maximum of 9 teaspoons per day. One can of cola contains 9 teaspoons of sugar. Then just consider what a large surplus of sugars the average Dutch person consumes. And every extra teaspoon is worse for the heart, as it has been proven that more sugar consumption leads to a greater risk of heart disease.

What is good for the heart?

Ucsfhealth.org recommends a diet that includes the following elements:

• Omega 3 fats
• Fibres
• Fruit and green, red and orange vegetables
• Little sugar and salt
• Low cholesterol and alcohol

read more

• Stress due to too many sugars
• Sugar is unhealthy for children: anxiety and addiction