Drinks with added sugars linked to lipid imbalance, which increases CVD risk
February 26, 2020
Science Daily/American Heart Association
Drinking 12 ounces of sugary drinks more than once per day is linked to lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), ("good" cholesterol), and higher levels of triglycerides, in middle aged and older adults, both of which have been shown to increase risk of cardiovascular disease. These results are from a new observational study published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the open access journal of the American Heart Association.
In previous studies, added sugars have been shown to increase cardiovascular disease risk. Beverages such as sodas, sports drinks and fruit-flavored drinks are the largest source of added sugars for Americans.
"For some time, we have known sugary drinks can have a negative effect on Americans' health status, yet the assumption for many is that they only contribute to weight gain," said Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., chief medical officer for prevention and chief of the Center for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the American Heart Association. "This research reinforces our understanding of the potential negative impact sugary drinks have on blood cholesterol, which increases heart disease risk. It is yet one more reason for all of us to cut back on sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages."
Researchers hypothesized that dyslipidemia could be one pathway by which sugary drinks may increase cardiovascular disease risk. An estimated 40% to 50% of U.S. adults are affected by dyslipidemia, an unhealthy imbalance of cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
To determine the association between sugary drinks on triglyceride and cholesterol levels, researchers studied observational medical data of up to 5,924 participants from the Offspring and Generation 3 cohorts of the Framingham Heart Study, who were followed for an average of 12.5 years between 1991 and 2014. The Offspring cohort of the Framingham Heart Study includes the children of original participants in the Framingham Heart Study, and the Generation 3 cohort includes grandchildren of the original participants in the Framingham Heart Study.
For this study, the beverages were defined as: 12 ounces of sugary drinks, such as sodas, fruit-flavored drinks, sports drinks, presweetened coffees and teas; 12 ounces of low-calorie sweetened beverages, including naturally and artificially sweetened "diet" sodas or other flavored drinks; or 8 ounces of 100% fruit juices, including orange, apple, grapefruit and other juices derived from whole fruits with no added sugars. Study participants were classified into five groups according to how often they drank the different beverage types ranging from low intake (<1 serving per month) to high intake (>1 serving per day).
Researchers analyzed how the different drink types and their consumption levels correlated with changes in cholesterol and triglyceride levels over approximately four-year periods. They found that:
Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages (more than 12 ounces per day) was associated with a 53% higher incidence of high triglycerides and a 98% higher incidence of low HDL cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) compared to those who drank less than one serving per month;
Drinking low-calorie sweetened beverages did not appear to be associated with increased dyslipidemia risk among the people who regularly drank low-calorie sweetened beverages; and
Regularly drinking up to 12 ounces of 100% fruit juice per day was not associated with adverse changes in cholesterol or dyslipidemia, though further research is needed to warrant this finding.
"Reducing the number of or eliminating sugary drink consumption may be one strategy that could help people keep their triglyceride and HDL cholesterol at healthier levels," said lead study author Nicola McKeown, Ph.D., a nutrition epidemiologist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. "And, while our study didn't find negative consequences on blood lipids from drinking low-calorie sweetened drinks, there may be health consequences of consuming these beverages on other risk factors. Water remains the preferred and healthiest beverage."
While previous cross-sectional studies have had similar findings, this study reaffirms those findings with prospective data. One potential limitation of the study is that participants self-reported their dietary intake.
The American Heart Association recommends people eliminate sugary drink consumption to improve heart health and to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service supported the study.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200226072110.htm
Only 12 percent of American adults are metabolically healthy
Trends help sound alarm for efforts to lower associated risk of types 2 diabetes, heart disease and other complications
November 28, 2018
Science Daily/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The prevalence of metabolic health in American adults is 'alarmingly low,' even among people who are normal weight, according to a new study. Only one in eight Americans is achieving optimal metabolic health. This carries serious implications for public health since poor metabolic health leaves people more vulnerable to developing Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other serious health issues.
This study, published Nov. 28 in the journal Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, presents the most updated U.S. data on metabolic health, which is defined as having optimal levels of five factors: blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, and waist circumference, without the need for medications.
For the study, researchers examined National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 8,721 people in the United States between 2009 and 2016 to determine how many adults are at low versus high risk for chronic disease. Data revealed that only 12.2 percent of American adults are metabolically healthy, which means that only 27.3 million adults are meeting recommended targets for cardiovascular risk factors management.
In the last decade the thresholds for common health measures, for example those that are used to determine if someone has high blood pressure or blood sugar levels, have been lowered by respected professional medical societies. These more restrictive guidelines may mean that a smaller proportion of people are meeting the optimal levels for the cardiovascular risk factors.
"The study fills a gap. We wanted to know how many American adults really meet the guidelines for all of these risk factors and are within optimal levels for disease prevention and health," said Joana Araujo, postdoctoral research associate in nutrition and the study's first author. "Based on the data, few Americans are achieving metabolic health, but the most disturbing finding was the complete absence of optimal metabolic health in adults who had obesity, less than a high school education, were not physically active and were current smokers. Our findings should spur renewed attention to population-based interventions and widely accessible strategies to promote healthier lifestyles."
The data showed that being more physically active, female, younger, more educated and a nonsmoker were factors associated with being more metabolically healthy. Whereas, being non-Hispanic black or having a higher body mass index meant people were less likely to be metabolically healthy.
The research team looked at how health-related behaviors might play into metabolic health and how the proportion of people who are metabolically healthy changes when BMI, physical activity or smoking rates are higher or lower. They found that less than 1 percent of obese adults are metabolically healthy. On the other hand, people who exercise more appear to have higher levels of metabolic health.
The authors call for further study to understand the mechanisms of risk factor development, with a focus on people of normal weight as well as heavier adults.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181128115045.htm
Disrupted Circadian Rhythm May Cause Triglycerides to Rise
August 4, 2010
Science Daily/Cell Press
When the circadian rhythm gets thrown off, it could come with an unexpected side effect: high triglycerides. The discovery, based on studies in mice with a "broken clock," helps to explain the normal rise and fall in triglycerides, which happens at about the same time each day, according to researchers who report their findings in the August issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication.
"We show that the normal up and down [of triglycerides] is lost in clock mutants," said M. Mahmood Hussain of SUNY Downstate Medical Center. "They have high triglycerides all the time." An elevated triglyceride level is a risk factor for atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Several biological, physiological, and behavioral activities show a characteristic recurrence with 24-hour intervals attuned to sunrise and sunset, the researchers explained. That circadian rhythm is driven by the interaction of so-called clock genes.
In normal mice, plasma triglycerides double or triple over the course of the day, reaching their lowest point at night when the nocturnal animals eat and are most active, the new report shows. In clock mutants, triglyceride levels don't change; rather, they stay high all the time.
The researchers delved further into the mechanism linking the animal's internal clocks to triglycerides. They found that a core component of the circadian circuitry -- a protein known as CLOCK -- controls levels of another protein (called microsomal triglyceride transfer protein, or MTP) that helps to ferry triglycerides through the bloodstream. That control takes place via yet another transcription factor.
"Metabolic syndrome and obesity are major metabolic disorders characterized by high plasma lipid concentrations," the researchers conclude. "Plasma lipids are tightly controlled by mechanisms regulating their production and clearance. Here, we show that light-entrained mechanisms involving clock genes also play a role in regulating plasma triglyceride."
If the findings in mice can be extrapolated to humans, it suggests that the effects of drugs designed to lower triglyceride levels by acting on MTP might depend on when they are taken each day, the researchers said.
"The dose needed may vary depending on the time of day," Hussain said. "Now we can start to think about [the role of] drug timing in controlling disease states."
The findings also suggest that activities that disrupt the circadian rhythm -- staying up until 2:00 a.m. or traveling overseas -- might come with real consequences for lipid metabolism, he added.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100803132736.htm