Fructose Linked To Heart Risks

The American Heart Association recommends that people consume only five percent of calories as added sugar.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 suggest an upper limit of 25 percent or less of daily calories consumed as added sugar.

What happens if you consume more? A new study by California researchers found that adults who consumed high fructose corn syrup for two weeks as 25 percent of their daily calorie requirement had increased blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, which have been shown to be indicators of increased risk for heart disease.

In the study, researchers examined what happened when young overweight and normal weight adults consumed fructose, high fructose corn syrup or glucose at the 25 percent upper limit.

"While there is evidence that people who consume sugar are more likely to have heart disease or diabetes, it is controversial as to whether high sugar diets may actually promote these diseases, and dietary guidelines are conflicting," said the study's senior author, Kimber Stanhope, PhD, of the University of California, Davis. "Our findings demonstrate that several factors associated with an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease were increased in individuals consuming 25 percent of their calories as fructose or high fructose corn syrup, but consumption of glucose did not have this effect."

Common sweetener

Fructose is a sugar found in many plants. In recent years, it has become a favorite sweetener in the food industry because it tends to be cheaper than sugar.

There is controversy among some health advocates and the food industry over the safety of fructose, with health advocates saying the body reacts differently to it than sugar. The food industry disputes that, and Jennifer Nelson, a Registered Dietician at the Mayo Clinic, says the research is mixed.

“Some research studies have linked consumption of large amounts of any type of added sugar — not just high-fructose corn syrup — to such health problems as weight gain, dental cavities, poor nutrition, and increased triglyceride levels, which can boost your heart attack risk,” Nelson said. “But there is insufficient evidence to say that high-fructose corn syrup is less healthy than are other types of added sweeteners.”