from BMJ Medicine
Free sugars—such as sugar added to
various foods or even those present in fruit
juices—are by no means free, meaning
there is a cost to our health. British
researchers reported in BMJ Medicine that
total carbohydrate consumption was not
associated with cardiovascular disease, but
higher free sugar consumption from sugary
drinks, fruit juice and sweets did increase
the risk of all types of cardiovascular
disease. Over nearly a decade, they found
that for each five percent increase in
consumption of free sugars, risk of heart
disease jumped six percent, stroke ten
percent. They conclude that replacing free
sugars with those naturally occurring in
whole fruits and vegetables plus higher fiber
intake may help protect against
cardiovascular disease.