JAMA Study: Added Sugar is a Direct Threat to Heart Health, Surpassing Normal Cholesterol Concerns
A comprehensive 15-year study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine has found that consuming high amounts of added sugar can more than double the risk of dying from heart disease. Crucially, this heightened risk was observed even in people who were not overweight and had otherwise normal cholesterol levels.
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Researchers determined that individuals who received 25% or more of their daily caloric intake from added sugars were twice as likely to succumb to cardiovascular disease compared to those who kept their sugar intake below 10%. The study noted that this risk increased proportionally with sugar consumption, and was independent of traditional factors like age, gender, overall diet quality, or body weight.
The leading sources of this harmful sugar were identified as sugary drinks like sodas and energy beverages, followed by desserts and candies. Scientists emphasized that sugar’s damage to heart health is direct: it raises blood pressure and increases the liver’s production of harmful fats that circulate in the bloodstream, proving its impact extends beyond displacing more nutritious foods.
