A diet high in added sugar has been suspected of contributing to tooth decay, obesity and diabetes, but a new study found that the added sugar in an average American’s diet can increase the risk of death from heart disease by 20%. And those of us (about 10% of Americans) who get 25% of their calories from added sugar—which really isn’t that hard if you drink a few sodas—double their risk of death from heart disease.
What this study found is that even if you have a healthy weight, cholesterol within a desirable range and a normal blood pressure, your risk of dying from heart disease increases when you consume added sugars. The more added sugar consumed, the higher the risk.
This really should be a wake up call for all of us.