If you have high cholesterol, or simply want to avoid this condition that is one of the best indicators of risk for heart problems, the best thing you can do is to understand how the things you eat interact with your cholesterol levels. Soda pop may seem like a safe bet, heart-wise, but in truth, it carries its own risks.
High Cholesterol
When your doctor tells you you have high cholesterol, he's referring to your low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol. Your body produces this substance in response to the presence of saturated fat in your diet. Healthy high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cleans the harmful LDL out of your bloodstream and lowers your blood cholesterol count. Eating foods rich in unsaturated fats stimulates your body to produce HDL.
Soda and LDL
The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides nutrition data on tens of thousands of foods, including more than a dozen styles of soda pop. According to the USDA, none of these styles contain any fat -- saturated or unsaturated. This means they will not stimulate your body to raise your LDL levels or to produce HDL that can lower your cholesterol into a safer range.
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are not technically a cholesterol, but they affect your circulatory health in the same way as LDL cholesterol and are included in your total cholesterol count. Your body produces triglycerides in response to spikes in your blood glucose levels, typically caused by eating foods high in sugar and other simple carbohydrates. The USDA reports that a 16-oz. can of soda contains between 30 and 70 g of sugar -- more than enough to cause your triglyceride levels to increase.
Sodium
Many soda pop styles are high in sodium. Sodium doesn't directly affect your cholesterol levels, but too much sodium in your diet can also have a negative impact on your circulatory health. If you already have a high risk for cardiac problems from high cholesterol, the sodium in soda pop can exacerbate that risk.
Bottom Line
Although it won't directly impact your levels of HDL or LDL cholesterol, the sugar in soda pop can elevate your total cholesterol count. This makes it a poor choice for people with dangerously high cholesterol. Diet sodas, which contain no sugars, are a better choice.
References
- US Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
- CDC: About Cholesterol
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Walter Willett; et. al; 2005
