New, compelling research once again focuses on processed sugar and fructose as the real dietary demons associated with heart disease.
Just a few weeks of a high sugar diet changes risk factors in blood that pose a risk to artery health.
Heart health markers like total cholesterol and oxidized LDL cholesterol, triglyceriedes, uric acid, insulin and blood glucose levels are all raised within a few weeks on a highly processed diet. No such change is seen with whole foods containing saturated fats.
These foods were shown to raise HDL or ‘good” cholesterol levels. And table sugar or high fructose syrup are the worst, also contributing to fatty liver. This creates a domino effect on blood changes eventually raising risk of heart attack and stroke.
What to do? Simple. Just eat food as nature provides – with as little human intervention as possible.
Ref: DiNicolantonio et al: The Evidence for Saturated Fat and for Sugar related to Coronary Heart Disease; Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 2015: 10.1016