Sugar Linked with Increase in Heart Deaths

Even if your weight, cholesterol and blood pressure are normal, sugar added to food may increase your risk of heart-related death, a new study says. For a typical American, the added risk was nearly 20%. Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did the study. It was based on a major government health survey of all ages. Researchers compared death statistics related to heart disease and stroke for people with different levels of sugar consumption. Sugars included syrups and honey added to food as well as table sugar. For the years 2005 through 2010, the average person got 14.9% of calories from added sugars. Eating that amount of sugar increased heart-related death risk by 18%. And risk more than doubled for those who got one-quarter of calories from sugar. The study took into account other health factors known to contribute to heart problems.