Sugar Overload Stresses Heart: StudyMonday, 17 Jun 2013
Addicted to sugar? A new study finds that eating too much sweet
stuff will not only contribute to weight gain but can set people
down a pathway to heart failure.
A single small molecule, the glucose metabolite glucose 6-phosphate
(G6P) -- which accumulates from eating too much starch or sugar --
causes stress to the heart that changes the muscle proteins and
induces poor pump function leading to heart failure, researchers
from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
reported.
Their findings, announced Friday, appear in the Journal of the
American Heart Association.
"Treatment is difficult," said Dr. Heinrich Taegtmeyer, principal
investigator and professor of cardiology at the UTHealth Medical
School. "Physicians can give diuretics to control the fluid, and
beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors to lower the stress on the heart
and allow it to pump more economically."
For the study, the researchers relied on animal studies, as well as
conducting tests on tissues collected from patients at the Texas
Heart Institute.
According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, most U.S. adults
get a whopping 13 percent of their total calories from added sugars
alone. Not only does that add a lot of extra calories which
contribute to making us fat, but sugary items often displace
healthier items, such as fruits, vegetables, and foods packed with
nutrients.
© AFP/Relaxnews 2013 http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/Health-News/heart-stress-excess-sugar-obesity/2013/06/17/id/510224 |