Sunday, September 5, 2010

Indulging A Sweet Tooth Could Result In A Greater Risk Of Heart Diseases

By Hailey Charter

On an average, 7 out of every 10 teenagers would love to have a glazed doughnut for breakfast every morning. And for almost all of them, the favorite part of Halloween is the candy it brings. Yet, a recent study showing increased heart disease in frequent sweet eaters, may prove that candy is not so dandy!

The intricate balance between 'bad' and 'good' cholesterol in the body gets thrown off, as the high sugar intake causes a rise in the level of triglycerides and a dip in the level of HDL or 'good cholesterol'. As per the survey findings, regular consumption of sweets on a daily basis causes an increased risk of heart disease.

Almost 6000 adults had their diets minutely examined to measure the calorie content in their food. Their cholesterol levels and sugar consumption was duly noted, resulting in an astounding 16 percent of the per-day calorie intake being made up of added sugar.

Care to venture a guess on how much sugar is consumed by a dedicated sweet eater every day? The top rung of the ladder included adults with 46 teaspoonfuls of sugar in a single day while the lower rung sang a sad tune of merely 3 teaspoonfuls.

If you get hungry between meals, you can have all the fruits you want. These consist of natural sugars that stay away from your calorie table. Artificial sugar in additives and processed food should be controlled at 9 teaspoons for m en and 6 for women.

It's about time I brought a few shocking truths to your notice. A typical carbonated soft drink will have 200 calories in a 16-ounce serving, and all of those calories come from sugar. Makes you want to drop that can of soda right? Let us hope food and beverage producers take a responsible stand on the issue and cut down sugar levels in processed food, thus preventing obesity and heart disease. Some states have taken the first step by imposing a sales tax on the purchase of soft drinks.

Would you dare to sip on that soda if you knew you had to pay a half-cent sales tax with every purchase? An approximate calculation based on further research has shown that expenditure on soft drinks will reduce by almost 10 gallons annually if the above tax were levied, thus limiting sugar consumption in the state.

Heart disease is inevitable in a high calorie diet as we all know. But recent studies conducted on the negative effects of added sugar in large quantities, show a rise in blood pressure, and increased occurrence of diabetes and stroke. It would serve us well to cut back on the sugary treats and stay healthy.

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