While excess sugar consumption has been strongly linked to problems like weight gain and diabetes, it appears that it might also affect cholesterol levels. Research published in 2010 found that you might have to watch sugar intake as part of a heart-healthy diet tailored to manage cholesterol levels.
Link Between Sugar and Cholesterol
Research conducted at Emory University and published in an April 2010 edition of the "Journal of the American Medical Association" looked at sugar consumption of over 6,000 adults. The results from this study indicate that high sugar consumption lowers levels of HDL cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol that helps remove LDL, or "bad", cholesterol from the artery walls. It also appears to increase levels of triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood; excess levels represent another risk factor for heart disease.
Types of Sugar
According to an article discussing the study on USAToday.com, the study only looked at sugars added to foods, not naturally-occurring sugars found in fruits and other natural foods. Examples include brown sugar, table sugar, brown rice syrup, high fructose corn syrup and molasses.
Recommended Sugar Intake
The American Heart Association recommends limiting sugar intake to 100 calories a day for women and 150 for men for optimal heart health. This falls way below the average amount most people consume on a daily basis. That amounts to about 6 and 9 teaspoons respectively. Participants in the Emory study consumed an average of 21 teaspoons daily---amounting to about 320 calories daily. The highest-consuming group consumed a whopping 46 teaspoons daily.
Problematic Items
Lead study author Marian Vos notes sweetened beverages like soda, iced tea and lemonade represent the number-one source of added sugars in the diet. One 12-ounce can of soda contains eight teaspoons of sugar, notes the AMA. Sugar-rich items are pretty obvious---cookies, cakes, candy and the like. Besides white table sugar, read food labels carefully to watch out for other sources of problematic sugars such as those mentioned above. Other not-so-obvious sugars include things ending in "-ose", such as maltose and dextrose.
Tips for Reducing Intake
While cutting back on obviously sugary-treats is the number one way to reduce sugar intake, other changes to your diet can also help and recalibrate your taste buds. Try using unsweetened applesauce instead of sugar in recipes. Buy canned fruits packed in water rather than syrup. Experiment with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger rather than adding sugar. Reduce sugar in baked good recipes by one-third to one-half. Add fresh fruits instead of sugar to cereals and oatmeal.
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