{"id":20031,"date":"2022-12-14T11:03:13","date_gmt":"2022-12-14T16:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?p=20031"},"modified":"2023-03-19T11:43:54","modified_gmt":"2023-03-19T16:43:54","slug":"how-your-sugar-intake-could-be-raising-your-cholesterol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/how-your-sugar-intake-could-be-raising-your-cholesterol\/","title":{"rendered":"How Your Sugar Intake Could Be Raising Your Cholesterol"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today\u2019s health-conscious world, we\u2019re continuously told about the impacts of sugary foods on our bodies. The good news: the body needs sugar in its natural form to function (which we\u2019ll talk about later), but the bad news is that a high sugar intake can seriously impact your health in many different ways \u2014 including by significantly raising your cholesterol. <\/span>But remember, it\u2019s nothing that maintaining a healthy balanced diet can\u2019t manage and improve.<\/span><\/p>\n

This guide is particularly useful for anyone who might be worried about their cholesterol levels. Perhaps you\u2019ve noticed a few changes in your body? Maybe you want to make changes to your high-sugar diet? Or you\u2019ve had test results that indicate high cholesterol levels and you\u2019re now searching for the reasons this might be.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If that\u2019s you, don\u2019t worry yourself too much \u2014 there are simple lifestyle changes you can make.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With so much talk about the impacts of sugar on cholesterol, we\u2019re here to clear a few things up \u2013 particularly the link between the two. What does scientific research say? What sugary foods are the worst culprits? And how can we better manage our sugar intake for the sake of our cholesterol levels?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is sugar?<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s start by explaining what sugar is, and the relationship it has with our bodies. We consume it every day, but do you know exactly what it is and why the body actually needs it to function?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sugar comes in all sorts of forms. It\u2019s both a naturally-occurring carbohydrate found in whole foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and milk \u2014\u00a0and a man-made ingredient added to food to\u00a0 as a sweetener. When you think of sugar, you\u00a0 may think of the granulated table sugar you can buy in bags at the store. That\u2019s also known as sucrose, a type of refined sugar typically derived from the sugar cane plant.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sucrose isn\u2019t the only type of sugar carbohydrate. Sugars refer to a \u201cbroad category of all monosaccharides and disaccharides: the simplest carbohydrates\u201d, according to <\/span>The Sugar Association<\/span><\/a>. Monosaccharides include glucose, galactose and fructose. Disaccharides include sucrose, lactose, maltose and trehalose.<\/span><\/p>\n

These types <\/span>vary in their levels of sweetness<\/span><\/a> too. For instance, lactose tastes less sweet than, say, fructose \u2014 which is considered to be the sweetest tasting type of sugar. The human body is actually built with an innate desire for such carbohydrates, starting when you\u2019re a baby and you need breast milk, which includes lactose.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The right sugar is energy<\/h2>\n

Ever heard of the term sugar rush? Well, like other types of carbs, sugar does provide the body with huge amounts of energy from calories,\u00a0but it\u2019s the naturally occurring sugars in foods like bananas or a bag of peanuts that\u00a0 are the best, most nutritious sources of energy. Refined sugars found in processed foods, like a Twinkie, or sugary beverages, like a can of soda might seem like the best temporary fix for a mid-afternoon slump, but the sugar itself contains no source of nutrients or minerals \u2014 providing you with a short-lived spike in blood sugar until you crash.<\/span><\/p>\n

How much sugar is healthy to consume?<\/h2>\n

The CDC recommends that Americans aged two years old and above consume <\/span>less than 10% of their total daily calories<\/span><\/a> from added sugars. They recommend that children under two consume no added sugars at all.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Think of it this way. An average can of soda equates to a whopping 35 grams or nine teaspoons of sugar per 330 ml can. So, that means sipping on just one small can of soda a day means you\u2019re already way over your daily recommended intake. It\u2019s easy to go over the limit.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020<\/span><\/a> say that on average, Americans consume 270 calories a day on just added sugars alone. That\u2019s around 13% of our total calories, more than the recommended daily amount.<\/span><\/p>\n

Look at your total sugar intake<\/h2>\n

Although it\u2019s best to focus on cutting down more of the processed sugars you find in junk food, it\u2019s also important to remember that the naturally occurring sugars will still count towards your total sugar intake.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is cholesterol?<\/h2>\n

Now that we\u2019ve discussed what sugar is, it\u2019s time to look at the relationship our daily sugar intake has to our cholesterol levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all heard of high-fat foods like butter, pastries and fried chicken wreaking havoc on our cholesterol levels, but you might be surprised to hear that sugar is another serious offender. In fact, there\u2019s plenty of research out there to suggest sugar is just as harmful, especially when consumed in excess over long periods of time.<\/span><\/p>\n

But before we get into the link between high sugar intake and high cholesterol, let\u2019s explain exactly what cholesterol is. <\/span>Our bodies need cholesterol\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cholesterol<\/span><\/a> is a fatty and waxy molecule that the body needs to build cells, make vitamins, and produce hormones. In fact, cholesterol is used by every cell in your body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In particular, the body uses cholesterol to make cell membranes and produce <\/span>vitamin D<\/span><\/a>, an essential vitamin needed for the body to regulate inflammation, support the immune system and keep your bones healthy. Cholesterol is naturally produced in the liver and circulates in our blood. Interestingly, the natural cholesterol we get from our liver provides all the cholesterol that our bodies need. But we also get cholesterol from the food we eat, which can lead to an excess amount in our body.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cholesterol is vital for the healthy function of any human body, but there is such a thing as too much cholesterol. There are two types of cholesterol to be aware of, as described by <\/span>WebMD<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL)<\/h3>\n

This is known by experts as the \u201cbad cholesterol\u201d. It can build up in the walls of your arteries and clog them.<\/span><\/p>\n

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)<\/h3>\n

Known as the \u201cgood\u2019 cholesterol\u201d, this picks up all the extra LDL in your bloodstream, takes it back to the liver, which then removes it from your body.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The link between sugar and cholesterol<\/h2>\n

As we\u2019ve already discussed, the substance of cholesterol itself isn\u2019t inherently a bad thing, but an excess of LDL (the bad type) is. In a nutshell, research shows that when you consume too much sugar, your body starts to make more and more excess LDL cholesterol, subsequently lowering the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body (the good type).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This itself causes an imbalance in the good\/bad cholesterol and a general increase in the total cholesterol levels. Here\u2019s the scientific evidence to back it up.<\/span><\/p>\n

What the research says<\/h3>\n

As sugar intake increases, LDL cholesterol levels rise while HDL cholesterol levels go down, according to a <\/span>2016 Medical Review,<\/span><\/a> These results are especially true for high intakes of refined fructose and sucrose, rather than more natural forms of glucose.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further evidence backs up these conclusions. A <\/span>2020 study<\/span><\/a> found that replacing fructose or sucrose in the diet with starch (made of glucose) can actually lower LDL cholesterol levels. Another similar <\/span>2021 study<\/span><\/a> on eight-year-old children also found that those who consume high amounts of sugar had a significant decrease in HDL cholesterol levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

Triglycerides raise your cholesterol too<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not just the sugar itself that can cause high cholesterol. The extra calories of a high-sugar diet can cause cholesterol levels to rise too. But how?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, when we eat so much excess sugar, sometimes we will consume so many calories that our daily food intake turns into a calorie surplus (when our body has more calories than it needs to burn for energy). This surplus of sugary calories leads to an excessive formation of <\/span>triglycerides<\/span><\/a>, a type of blood fat produced by the liver and stored in your fat cells. Essentially, triglycerides are your body\u2019s way of storing calories for later \u2013 like between meals when you need the extra energy. However, an excessive presence of triglycerides in the bloodstream leads to high cholesterol.<\/span><\/p>\n

A person with a high-sugar diet runs the risk of having the combination of high LDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol. This is a recipe for build-up in the arteries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What else causes high cholesterol?<\/h3>\n

Anyone can get high cholesterol, at any stage in their life. It\u2019s hard to pinpoint just one single cause of high cholesterol. It\u2019s usually a combination of factors, <\/span>some<\/span><\/a> you can\u2019t control and some you can, like lifestyle choices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Controllable causes include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n