Another Sugar Shock
New science links added sugar intake to higher amounts of dangerous fat.
There is no way to sugarcoat it: Consuming too many sugary foods and drinks is a recipe for poor health. That’s the conclusion of a paper in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The research scrutinized data from 3,070 participants, ages 18–30, who were enrolled in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study.
Using CT scans, researchers found that people who ate more added sugars—like those in baked goods, boxed cereals and sugar-sweetened beverages—appeared to have greater amounts of fat tissue, particularly visceral and pericardial adipose tissue. We know that dangerous levels of fat deposits in the abdominal cavity and adjacent to the heart are connected with higher risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disease—setting up these young adults for poor health. This study’s findings lend even more support for the global effort, which includes World Health Organization recommendations, to lower added sugar intake in the everyday diet.
See also: Another Strike Against Liquid Sugar
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Award–winning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.
