Slam! Thud! Clank! As new research underscores the link between added sugars and heart disease, we’re sure we can hear sugary treats being slam-dunked into kitchen trash cans across North America. OK, maybe that’s wishful thinking on our part, but the timing of the new salvo against refined sugar is still brilliant.
After all, summer’s almost here. We’re betting that naturally sweet summer goodies like juicy peaches, sun-ripened strawberries and fresh-sliced watermelon will help you resist its sugar bombs: sticky saltwater taffy, super-sized sodas and mega-sweet muffins. Why it matters: Your body absorbs added sugars faster than a teenager drives (meaning dangerously fast), while sugar in fruit is absorbed more slowly than a car with two flat tires. Americans now consume 156 pounds of added sugars a year (which is like you eating 31 5-pound bags of sugar). Canadians go through 110 pounds (like eating 22 bags). Time to make a YOU-turn!
And not just so you can avoid cavities or button your pants. The new study shows that taming your sweet tooth is also crucial for a healthy heart. When Emory University researchers checked the diets of 6,113 women and men, those who ate the most added sugars were three times more likely to be low on heart-guarding HDL cholesterol and 20 percent more likely to have high heart-threatening triglycerides than those who ate the least. Women who ate a lot of added sugars also had higher levels of lousy LDL cholesterol.
How much is “a lot”? The high-sugar crowd ate a whopping 46 teaspoons of added sugars a day. The low-sugar group ate three to four teaspoons a day. Both groups took in about the same amount of fat, so that doesn’t explain the sugar eaters’ much riskier cholesterol levels.
Of the various kinds of added sugars, the thug seems to be fructose. Found in high-fructose corn syrup and plain table sugar, it forces your liver to pump out more LDL and triglycerides, which indirectly makes your body flush out healthy HDL cholesterol (especially if you have a fatty liver, as more than 35 percent of North Americans do). A sugar overload also fires up chronic, bodywide inflammation and can make your cells less sensitive to insulin, increasing heart disease and diabetes risk.
If you’re a typical American, you get 22 teaspoons’ worth of added sugars per day; if you’re Canadian, make that 16 — better, but still too much. Cutting back means finding tasty substitutes for high-sugar, major-ager foods like regular soda, fruit punches, “ades” (like lemonade), baked goods and candy — the top sources of added sugars. But it also means ferreting out seemingly healthy foods that have added sugars, like many salad dressings. Here’s how:
Look for added sugars on the ingredients list. Repeat: the ingredients list, not the nutrition label. Nutrition labels still don’t differentiate added sugars from those put there by Mother Nature. But your body knows the difference and loathes added sugars. To spot them, check the ingredients for anything ending in “ose” (sucrose, fructose) plus any syrups (especially high-fructose corn syrup) and “fruit juice concentrate.” If these are near the top of the list, choose something else.
Don’t be too trusting. Even some otherwise healthy, high-fiber breakfast cereals pack 4 teaspoons of added sugars per serving. Foods like ketchup and peanut butter also often contain added sugars. Likewise, a container of low-fat yogurt with strawberry goo on the bottom has 26 grams of sugar and about seven of those are added. The quantities may be small, but it all adds up, so pick another brand.
Grab naturally sweet treats. Make like Elvis and layer banana slices on your peanut butter sandwich, not jelly. Cool off with juicy melon instead of a drippy popsicle. Top whole-grain waffles or oatmeal with fresh berries. Satisfying your sweet tooth with real fruit not only keeps your added sugars down but ups your fiber and nutrients.
Indulge strategically. Love sweet cereal? If a little brown sugar on your oatmeal helps you avoid Double-Chocolate-Cookie Flakies, go for it. Same with coffee drinks. Adding a teaspoon of sugar (4 grams) to a plain iced coffee is way smarter than having a Grande Dark Cherry Mocha (51 grams of added sugars!). And already heart-friendly extra-dark chocolate has about half as much sugar as milk chocolate (yes!). Sometimes, a small indulgence for you is a healthy move for your heart.
The YOU Docs, Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen, are authors of “YOU: On a Diet.” To submit questions, visit realage.com.
