High-sugar teen diet ups heart risk later

ATLANTA, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Teenagers who eat a diet high in sugar -- mainly due to sweetened drinks -- may have a higher risk of heart disease later in life, U.S. researchers suggest.

Study author Jean Welsh, a nurse who is a postdoctoral fellow in pediatric nutrition at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, says overweight or obese teens with the highest levels of added sugar intake had increased signs of insulin resistance -- often a precursor to diabetes.

"Adolescents are eating 20 percent of their daily calories in sugars that provide few if any other nutrients," Welsh says in a statement. "We know from previous studies the biggest contributors of added sugars to the diet are sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas, fruit-flavored drinks and sweetened coffees and teas."

The study of 2,157 teens ages 12-18, published in the National Health and Nutrition Survey, found the average daily consumption of added sugars was 28.3 teaspoons or 476 calories -- 21.4 percent of their total calories.

Teens who consume the highest levels of added sugars had lower levels of high-density lipoprotein levels, the "good" cholesterol, and higher levels of triglycerides and low density lipoproteins, the "bad" cholesterol.