No one can deny there is an ongoing obesity epidemic in North America. Finally, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows a definitive connection between high sugar intake and cardiovascular disease mortality [1].
In other words, sugar will kill you—even the doctors now say so. And it’s not limited to habitual consumers of added sugars that are at risk, “just one 20-ounce soda increases your risk of a heart attack by about 30%”.
Too Much Sugar Is Bad For The Body
Most adults consume much more than the recommended daily allotment of sugar. People in the study who consumed the most sugar had triple the risk of cardiovascular disease of those who consumed the least amount.
All identifiable socioeconomic factors were taken into account including age, sex, race, and body mass index. The emphasis was put on “added sugar” as opposed to those naturally occurring in foods (fruit, for example). Added sugar was defined as refined sugar added to food.
The comprehensive study followed more than 31,000 people over a period of 14.6 years. Adults whose daily calories from added sugar constituted 25 percent or more of their total caloric intake were almost three times (2.75, to be precise) more likely to die from the effects of cardiovascular disease than those who consumed less than 25 percent [2].