Sugar and Cholesterol

If you have high cholesterol, drink water NOT soda, juices, lemonade, sweetened teas, etc!  That’s my quick summary of the article I read. 

Of course we all know that sugar intake is linked to obesity which is linked with high blood pressure and heart disease.  I think logically many of us would know that sugar is tied to cholesterol but generally the focus is on reducing fat intake.  I simplistically think of it as the primary driver of my tricyceride levels. 

Based on the study just published looking at over 6,100 adults:

• Participants consumed an average of 21.4 teaspoons of added sugars a day.
• 16% of participants total calorie intake was from added sugars (compared with 11% in 1977-78).
• People with higher levels of sugar intake were more likely to have low HDL and high triglycerides (blood fat).

The American Heart Association says that women should consume no more than 6.5 teaspoons of sugar a day and men no more than 9.5 teaspoons a day.  [A Coke has 16.5 teaspoons in a 20 oz bottle or 10 teaspoons in a 12 oz can.]