Teenagers whose diets include lots of sugary drinks and foods show physical signs that they are at higher risk for heart disease as adults.
Teenagers whose diets include lots of sugary drinks and foods show physical signs that they are at higher risk for heart disease as adults.
Though increased carbohydrate and sugar consumption has been associated with higher cardiovascular disease risk among adults, little is known about the impact of high consumption of added sugars.
To test this, researchers studied 2,157 American teenagers who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.The average amount of added sugar eaten in a day was 119 grams (476 calories), which was 21 percent of all the calories these teens consumed daily.
It was found that teenagers who consumed the most added sugar had 9 percent higher LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, and 10 percent higher triglyceride levels (another type of blood fat), compared with those who consumed the least added sugar. Teenagers who took in the highest amount of added sugar also had lower levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol than those who consumed the least amount of added sugar.
In addition, those who consumed the highest amount of added sugar showed signs of insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes with its associated risk of heart disease.
The study does not prove that dietary sugar is a cardiac risk factor among teenagers, but it strongly suggests it.
Though increased carbohydrate and sugar consumption has been associated with higher cardiovascular disease risk among adults, little is known about the impact of high consumption of added sugars.
To test this, researchers studied 2,157 American teenagers who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.The average amount of added sugar eaten in a day was 119 grams (476 calories), which was 21 percent of all the calories these teens consumed daily.
It was found that teenagers who consumed the most added sugar had 9 percent higher LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, and 10 percent higher triglyceride levels (another type of blood fat), compared with those who consumed the least added sugar. Teenagers who took in the highest amount of added sugar also had lower levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol than those who consumed the least amount of added sugar.
In addition, those who consumed the highest amount of added sugar showed signs of insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes with its associated risk of heart disease.
The study does not prove that dietary sugar is a cardiac risk factor among teenagers, but it strongly suggests it.
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