- Researchers investigated the effects of different carbohydrates on cardiovascular health.
- They found that consuming more added sugars increases cardiovascular risk, and that more dietary fiber decreases cardiovascular risk.
- Reducing the intake of added sugars could reduce cardiovascular risk.
Sugars are carbohydrates that occur in two varieties: free and non-free sugars.
“Free sugars” include sugars added to foods and drinks such as chocolate and flavored yogurts. They are also in honey, unsweetened fruit juices, and vegetable juices.
Non-free sugars occur in foods such as vegetables, grains, and dairy products. As these sugars are contained within cell walls, they are harder for the body to absorb and don’t generate the same “sugar high” as free sugars.
Higher free sugar intake correlates to
Understanding how carbohydrate intake influences health could lead to better preventive strategies for cardiovascular health.
Recently, researchers analyzed health data to understand more about how carbohydrates relate to cardiovascular risk.
They found higher free sugar intake is linked to higher cardiovascular disease incidence and triglyceride levels.
“Added sugars found in sweet snacks and sugary drinks are just as bad for us as our parents said – if not even worse,” Dr. Daniel Atkinson, GP Clinical Lead at Treated, not involved in the study, told Medical News Today.
“It’s not just our teeth they can damage, but the health of our heart as well. If you want to make some changes to look after your heart health, cutting out cola is probably more helpful than cutting out crisps,” Dr. Atkinson noted.
The study was published in
For the study, the researchers analyzed healthcare data from 110,497…
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