A study just published by Circulation – the journal of the American Heart Association – concluded that consumption of  added sugars is positively associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors in adolescents. The survey of 2,157 youth aged 12 to 18 found that increased consumption of caloric sweeteners was significantly related to higher LDL cholesterol and total triglycerides – both known risk factors for heart disease. Additionally, the study found that added sugars made up a whopping 21.4% of daily caloric intake for the participants.

These data make a strong case for limiting the amount of added sugars in our diets. Let’s keep the future generation (and ourselves) healthy by reconsidering the sugar-laden food choices so common today.

Source: Circulation. (2011). Consumption of added sugars and cardiovascular disease risk among US adolescents. In print, doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.972166.