A new study shows that eating added sugar can increase the risk of heart disease. However, people who eat sweet treats sometimes may have a lower risk of heart problems.
Researchers from Lund University, Sweden, found that enjoying a pastry or chocolate bar occasionally could be better for your heart than avoiding all sugar. But, drinking sugary drinks or using sweet toppings like honey is harmful.
“We see two different effects of sugar types on heart disease,” says epidemiologist Suzanne Janzi. “It’s important to think about where the sugar comes from and how much you eat.”
The study looked at 69,705 people aged 45 to 83. They were asked about their diets in 1997 and 2009, then checked until 2019. The researchers categorized sugar into three groups: sweet toppings, sweet treats, and sugary drinks.
They found that those who had sweet treats occasionally had the lowest risk of heart disease. The study shows that having some sugar in social situations can be okay and may even help with stress and loneliness.
More research is needed to understand how sugar affects heart health.
Vocabulary List:
- Epidemiologist /ˌep.ɪˌdiː.miˈɒl.ə.dʒɪst/ (noun): A specialist in the study of how diseases affect the health and illness of populations.
- Categorized /ˈkæt.ɪ.ɡəraɪzd/ (verb): Arranged or divided into classes or categories.
- Risk /rɪsk/ (noun): The possibility of something bad happening.
- Occasionally /əˈkeɪ.ʒən.əl.i/ (adverb): From time to time; not regularly.
- Heart Disease /hɑːrt dɪˈziːz/ (noun): A range of conditions that affect the heart including coronary artery disease.
- Sugary /ˈʃʊɡ.ər.i/ (adjective): Containing a lot of sugar; sweet.
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