Sweetener Consumption Found to Alter Blood Profiles

by | Jul 9, 2010 | 2010, Blood Lipids, Cardiovascular Health

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. A study on 6113 adults showed that those with the highest intakes of added sugars had 19% lower HDL (good cholesterol), 8% higher triglycerides, and 6% higher LDL (bad cholesterol).

According the Center for Disease Control, between 1971 and 2000 American men increase their calorie consumption by 6.5% (2,450 to 2,618 calories) and American women increase by 18% (1,542 to 1,877 calories). This increase in calories has been entirely due to carbohydrates, with men increasing their carbohydrate intake by 14% (42.4 to 49.0% of total calories) and women increasing by 12% (45.4% to 51.6%). Both men and women have decreased fat intake (11% and 9%, respectively) as well as protein intake (6% and 11%, respectively) (1). Increased carbohydrate intake has been associated with lower HDL cholesterol, higher triglycerides and higher LDL cholesterol(2), all of which are characteristic of cardiovascular disease (3) which costs our healthcare system $448 billion per year (4).

The type of carbohydrate responsible for this increase has been caloric sweeteners in the form of refined beet or cane sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup (5), with Americans 2 years or older now consuming nearly 1 in every 6 calories (16%) from sweeteners (6). Consumption of these added sugars has increased the prevalence of obesity (7), diabetes (8), and dental caries (9) while decreasing diet quality (10).

As a result, the Institute of Medicine now recommends a limit of 25% of total calories (11), the World Health Organization recommends less than 10% (12), and the American Heart Association recommends 5% of total calories from added sweeteners (13). Perhaps no food source contributes more to addition of added sugar to our diet than soda. Soft drink consumption nearly tripled between 1977 and 2001, with 144 calories per day coming from soft drinks, and both soda and fruit juice drinks adding 278 calories per day to the American Diet.

This has mirrored a drop in milk consumption, falling from nearly 13% of daily calories in 1977 to a little more than 8 percent in 2001 (13). All of this has translated in 2004 to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey finding that over 66% of Americans are now overweight or obese and 32% of Americans are obese (14), adding an extra $75 billion to our healthcare costs (15). Now a new study (16) has again found that soda consumption unfavorably changes our blood. Researchers looked at data from 6,113 US adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2006, separating them by intake of added sugars as a % of total calories:

  • Less than 5% (reference group)
  • Between 5 and 10%
  • Between 10% and 17.5%
  • Between 17.5% and 25%
  • Greater than 25%

They then looked at the results of their blood tests. In agreement with earlier data (6), they found an average of 15.8% of consumed calories was from added sugars. As added sugar intake increased, HDL levels progressively decreased, with those in the highest added sugar group (> 25%) having 19% lower HDL levels (47.7 vs 58.7 mg/dL), 8% higher triglyceride levels (114 vs 105 mg/dL), and 6% higher LDL cholesterol levels in women (123 vs 116 mg/dL) compared to the reference group. No significant differences were seen with LDL cholesterol in men.

While the researchers admit that it “is not completely understood” just how added sugar consumption disrupts blood profiles, they point to fructose, a sugar found in large quantities in all added sugars which has been found to disrupt liver function regarding fats in the body (17) and concluded that “there was a statistically significant correlation between dietary added sugars and blood lipid levels among US adults.”

Source: Welsh, Jean A., et al. “Caloric sweetener consumption and dyslipidemia among US adults.” Jama 303.15 (2010): 1490-1497.

© 2010 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.

Posted July 9, 2010.

Trends in Intake of Energy and Macronutrients — United States, 1971—2000” see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

References:

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  2. National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) Final Report. Circulation. 2002;106(25):3143-3421
  3. “Cardiovascular Disease Cost” –  the American Heart Association website.
  4. Haley S, Ali M. Sugar backgrounder. US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Web site. July 2007.
  5. Krebs-Smith SM. Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars: measurement requires quantification. J Nutr. 2001;131(2S-1):527S-535S.
  6. Vartanian LR, Schwartz MB, Brownell KD. Effects of soft drink consumption on nutrition and health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Public Health. 2007;97(4):667-675.
  7. Montonen J, Jarvinen R, Knekt P, Heliovaara M, Reunanen A. Consumption of sweetened beverages and intakes of fructose and glucose predict type 2 diabetes occurrence. J Nutr. 2007;137(6):1447-1454.
  8. Marshall TA, Eichenberger-Gilmore JM, Larson MA, Warren JJ, Levy SM. Comparison of the intakes of sugars by young children with and without dental caries experience. J Am Dent Assoc. 2007;138(1):39-46.
  9. Frary CD, Johnson RK, Wang MQ. Children and adolescents’ choices of foods and beverages high in added sugars are associated with intakes of key nutrients and food groups. J Adolesc Health. 2004;34(1):56-63.
  10. Dietary reference intakes for energy, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids. National Academies Press Web site.2005. Accessed March 19, 2010.
  11. Nielsen SJ.  Changes in beverage intake between 1977 and 2001.  Amer Jou Prev Med 2004; 27(3):205-210.
  12. Welsh JA.  Caloric Sweetener Consumption and Dyslipidemia Among US Adults.  JAMA 2010; 303(15):1490-1497.
  13. “Childhood Obesity” posted on The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
  14. “Obesity: Increases Medical Costs and Death” posted on the North Dakota State University website.
  15. Welsh JA.  Caloric Sweetener Consumption and Dyslipidemia Among US Adults. JAMA. 2010;303(15):1490-1497.
  16. Johnson RK, Appel LJ, Brands M; et al, American Heart Association Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism and the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention. Dietary sugars intake and cardiovascular health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2009;120(11):1011-1020.