Never Ignore Abdominal Pain

« Back to Home

The Connection Between Sugar And Your Heart's Health

Posted on

Sugar has long been considered to be something people should only eat in small amounts, but the average person is eating more sugar than ever before. While most people think about sugar leading to being overweight, it can actually cause damage to your heart and overall cardiovascular health. Here's how it might be hurting you.

Inflammation

One of the first things that sugar does when it hits your bloodstream is trigger inflammation. This inflammation can strike anywhere, from your stomach to your blood vessels. However, when it inflames the vessels of your body or your heart's vessels, you end up with a serious problem.

Inflammation means the tissues get puffier, thicker, and take up more space than they used to. This usually means that the space in your arteries and veins is diminished, making it easier for a blood clot to form.

Plaque

Plaque can accumulate in your arteries, veins, and even heart if you're not careful when it comes to sugar. Plaque is one of the leading causes of a heart or artery blockage. When combined with inflammation of the blood vessels, a partial or complete blockage becomes all but inevitable.

While the body is able to clear away plaque in most cases, continuing to eat sugar will negate the body's ability to clear any of it away, as it will just replace what's gone with new plaque.

Kidneys and Cholesterol

Finally, your kidneys have a lot to say about the sugar you're eating, too. Sugar irritates and inflames the kidneys, which can lead to tissue damage, scar tissue, and even kidney failure. However, long before kidney failure, it can influence your cholesterol. When the kidney is struggling to process too much fat, it reacts by increasing your triglycerides and LDL or bad cholesterol. Both of these factors can lead you to a higher chance of having a heart attack or stroke.

What to Do

It's always a good idea to consult with a doctor before you make any sudden dietary changes, but reducing the amount of sugar you eat is the ultimate goal. Cutting down the amount of sugar you consume can help you to no longer experience the symptoms that sugar can cause and allows for the body to start healing itself.

Sugar is extremely dangerous for the body and something you should avoid eating ean excess of. Talk to your doctor, such as those at Nephrology & Hypertension (Medical Associates of Savannah), if you're concerned about sugar harming you.


Share