High Sugar Consumption In Teens May Lead To Heart Disease As Adults

A recent study conducted at Emory University and reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association concluded that teens whose diet includes a high level of added sugars—sweeteners added to foods and drinks either by the manufacturer or consumer—are more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes as adults. This study, the first of its kind to focus on adolescents, found that, on average, United States adolescents take in 20 percent of their daily calories in nutrient-poor sugars—three to five times higher than the American Heart Association’s recommended upper limit—mostly from soda, fruit-flavored drinks and coffee or tea that’s been sweetened.