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Baku, November 8 AZERTAC
What connection is there between food and drink with added sugar and coronary artery disease? Until recently, the question had been inadequately answered by research, but an extensive study from Lund University in Sweden has now contributed important clues.
According to the University`s official website, the study in question focuses on sucrose. Sucrose occurs naturally in fruit and vegetables, but the majority of our consumption is through added sucrose. Besides sweetened beverages, cakes and sweets, sucrose is added to many ordinary foods, such as dairy products, bread and jam. In Sweden, sucrose is the most common form of added sugar.
The general nutritional recommendations in Sweden state that no more than 10 per cent of our daily energy intake should come from added sugar.
The study does not establish a causal link between the amount of sucrose and coronary artery disease. But in order to reduce the risk of erroneous conclusions, the results have been adjusted for factors traditionally associated with cardiovascular disease. These include lifestyle, such as smoking, alcohol and exercise habits. Dietary consumption was also analysed and adjustments made for foods which are seen as linked to cardiovascular risk, such as meat, whole grains, fruit, vegetables and coffee.
The basis for the research is a large population study, the Malmö Diet and Cancer Cohort Study, in which participants underwent health checks, answered questions on lifestyle and kept a food diary for a limited period of time. Follow-up was conducted for an average of 17 years, on a total of just over 26 000 participants with no known diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
The study was presented in the British Journal of Nutrition, and financed by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Society for Medical Research and the Crafoord Foundation, among others.
AZERTAG.AZ :Association between sugary diet and coronary artery disease
