Added sugars in processed foods and beverages may increase cardiovascular disease risk factors, according to a study by Emory University researchers. Speaking here is study co-author Miriam Vos, MD, MSPH, assistant professor of pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine. About the Study The study, published in the April 20, 2010, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), analyzed U.S. government nutritional data and blood lipid levels in more than 6,000 adult men and women between 1999 and 2006. The study subjects were divided into five groups according to the amount of added sugar and caloric sweeteners they consumed daily. Researchers found that people who consumed more added sugar were more likely to have higher cardiovascular disease risk factors, including higher triglyceride lev¬els and higher ratios of triglycerides to HDL-C, or good cholesterol. Press Release Higher Amounts of Added Sugars Increase Heart Disease Risk Factors http://shared.web.emory.edu/whsc/news/releases/2010/04/higher-amounts-of-added-sugars-increase-heart-disease-risk-factors.html JAMA Video Press Release Higher Amounts of Added Sugars in U.S. Diet Change Lipid Levels, Increase Heart Disease Risk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iJ_ck6GNUs Related Links Sound Science: What’s driving the increase in liver disease in children http://www.whsc.emory.edu/soundscience/archives/vos.html Brief Biography: Miriam Vos http://www.choa.org/default.aspx?id=4907 “Sweet Nothings” (Emory Magazine, Fall 2008) http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_MAGAZINE/2008/autumn/sweet.html