'Your liver metabolizes sugar the same way as alcohol, and converts dietary carbohydrates to fat,' says Dr. For instance, high amounts of sugar overload the liver. How sugar actually affects heart health is not completely understood, but it appears to have several indirect connections. 'Basically, the higher the intake of added sugar, the higher the risk for heart disease,' says Dr. Over the course of the 15-year study, people who got 17% to 21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with those who consumed 8% of their calories as added sugar. Hu and his colleagues found an association between a high-sugar diet and a greater risk of dying from heart disease. In a study published in 2014 in JAMA Internal Medicine, Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H.

'Excess sugar's impact on obesity and diabetes is well documented, but one area that may surprise many men is how their taste for sugar can have a serious impact on their heart health,' says Dr. Adult men take in an average of 24 teaspoons of added sugar per day, according to the National Cancer Institute. The result: we consume way too much added sugar. But added sugar is also present in items that you may not think of as sweetened, like soups, bread, cured meats, and ketchup. In the American diet, the top sources are soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavored yogurts, cereals, cookies, cakes, candy, and most processed foods. However, problems occur when you consume too much added sugar - that is, sugar that food manufacturers add to products to increase flavor or extend shelf life. A high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains also has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Since your body digests these foods slowly, the sugar in them offers a steady supply of energy to your cells. Plant foods also have high amounts of fiber, essential minerals, and antioxidants, and dairy foods contain protein and calcium.

Consuming whole foods that contain natural sugar is okay. Sugar occurs naturally in all foods that contain carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, grains, and dairy. Sugar has a bittersweet reputation when it comes to health. Too much added sugar can be one of the greatest threats to cardiovascular disease.

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