High intake of added sugar through your diet may spell heart trouble warn health experts. According to the findings of an intriguing new study, excess sugar consumption via food and drink may elevate the risk of heart attack or myocardial infarction in some people.
In order to get an insight into the impact of a sugary diet on the risk of cardiovascular disease, the researchers conducted a study. The basic object was to examine the associations between sucrose (the most common extrinsic sugar in Sweden) intake and coronary event risk.
The experts carried an analysis on 26 190 individuals (62 % women) from the Swedish population-based Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort. None of the participants had a history of diabetes or cardiovascular diseases.
As a part of the study, lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking and physical activities that are traditionally linked with cardiovascular issues were taken into account. In addition, the study subjects were questioned about dietary intake of fat, fruits veggies, whole grains, coffee and more.
“In the study, we wanted to investigate whether a correlation could be found between even a small overconsumption of added sugar and coronary artery disease. In order to reflect reality as closely as possible, we focused on people’s dietary intake as a whole and not only on selected foods such as sugar-sweetened beverages”, said the lead author of the study, Emily Sonestedt, associate professor at Lund University in Sweden.
A follow-up on an average of 17 years revealed 2493 cases of coronary events. It was noted that the subjects who got their energy intake from sucrose exhibited an increased risk of heart disease as opposed to those who consumed less of sucrose.
Sonestedt concluded, “For the vast majority, the consumption of added sugar does not appear to be a problem with regard to the risk of developing myocardial infarction or another serious heart disease. But for a small number of people with a high consumption of added sugar, the picture was different. Among the five percent of participants who got at least 15 percent of their daily energy intake from sucrose, the risk of myocardial infarction increased by about a third.”
The study was published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
