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August 16, 2010 • Healthy Living, Heart Health

Sugar Bad for Heart – Heart Health

Most people know that too much bad fat (saturated and trans) will do a dirty number on their hearts, but few recognize that too much sugar is likely even worse! Unfortunately, sugar consumption is at an all-time high in the U.S. with 16% of our total calories coming from sugar added to processed and prepared foods.  Excess sugar is particularly bad for the heart because it can harm it in so many different ways including:

  • Elevating blood pressure
  • Boosting triglyceride levels
  • Lowering HDL (good) cholesterol levels
  • Promoting inflammation
  • Promoting insulin resistance
 For optimal heart health, added sugars should make up no more than 100 calories (25 grams or 6 tsp) a day in women and 150 calories (37 grams or 9 tsp) a day in men. That’s less than a single 16 oz bottle of soda!