Sugar & Heart Disease

Debate goes on regarding the causes of heart disease. One of the suspects under constant scrutiny is sugar. Sugar has been blamed for various forms of heart disease both directly and indirectly. With proper background knowledge and by making smart choices, anyone can take measures to avoid any potential heart disease-related conditions associated with sugar.

Definition of Sugar

• Sugar is found in two forms: monosaccharides and disaccharides. Common disaccharides include the thick and heavy sucrose found in sugar cane, honey, corn syrup and table sugar. It is also in lactose found in milk products and maltose found in malt. Monosaccharides are the sugars found in fruits and vegetables in the form of fructose.

Heart Disease

• The idea that sugar is associated with heart disease dates back to the 1960s when a study showed that a higher intake of sugar was associated with increased cardiovascular diseases. Recent studies have linked sugar consumption with coronary heart disease. The incidence in women is higher than men. Women with diets high in sugar had twice the risk in developing heart disease over a 10-year period. This association is directly related tp weight gain, which in turn causes heart disease and other conditions such as diabetes that also is linked to heart disease.

Blood Sugar Levels

• The relationship between blood sugar levels and diabetes has always been an important factor in reducing diabetes-related problems such as heart disease. However, researchers at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have determined that low blood sugar levels are key in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease in both diabetics and non-diabetics. Their studies found that hemoglobin A1c to be an accurate measure of long-term blood glucose levels that can predict heart disease. This not only confirmed the association between sugar and heart disease in diabetics but also showed that non-diabetic individuals with high sugar consumption had twice the risk to develop heart disease than those with moderate sugar intake.

Incidence

• About 62 million Americans have some variation of cardiovascular disease which is the No. 1 killer. It accounts for 40 percent of all deaths in the United States. Common forms of heart disease include high blood pressure, coronary heart disease (heart attacks), strokes, birth defects and congestive heart failure. The American Heart Association believes that a third of the deaths caused by heart disease could have been prevented with exercise and better diets including those with reduced amounts of sugar.

Prevention

• Drugs can help prevent or offset potential heart disease however, lifestyle changes are the only guaranteed and the safest forms of prevention. Regular exercise and closely monitoring dietary intake are the most recommended changes one should make. Margarine, processed foods and sugar should be avoided. Instead, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and health protein are recommended. Alcoholic beverages--a fermented form of the sugar sucrose--should also be avoided.