Sugar can cause cardiovascular damage

Question

According to a Harvard university study sugar has a significant impact on heart health. Dr.Hu a doctor at the university states "Basically, the higher the intake of added sugar, the higher the risk for heart disease," The study found that people who got between 17-30% of their calories from sugar were at a 38% higher likelihood to develop heart disease and vascular issues. This statistics is highly concerning, not only does sugar affect the heart but It can also have a severe impact on weight and energy. Heart health is directly connected to life span and quality to life. Sugar intake is a key role in decreasing health.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar

Comments

Although this claim is true, this can be still said about many dietary consumptions. Anything not eaten in moderation is bound to be bad for your physical health, including high amounts of sugar. There are also other massive factors such as genetics, diet, and whether or not the person works out or not.

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I appreciate your use of the Harvard research study that you cited. I also appreciated your in-depth description of the circumstances surrounding the study. I would've liked more information on correlations that could have caused the response to the data. For example don't all foods impact your heart and vascular health especially if not eaten in moderation. Overall I did appreciate this fact check and will be upvoting.

Answer 1

This article appears to be reliable because while it doesn't have an author, it was published recently (January 2022), it has no typos, and it is from Harvard Medical School, a highly prestigious and respected university. The claim that excessive sugar intake can lead to serious health issues is backed up almost entirely by a study done through Harvard. There are several quotes from Dr. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition who worked on the study. After further research, I found that he has worked on numerous published health studies and received ten awards for his work within the medical research field. Here is Dr. Hu's profile on the Harvard website.

Furthermore, I was able to find the study itself, which was published in 2014 by Jama International Medicine (Jamanetwork.com). Statistics between the article and this study matched, and Dr. Hu is listed as a collaborator. The study's conclusion states, "Our findings indicate that most US adults consume more added sugar than is recommended for a healthy diet. A higher percentage of calories from added sugar is associated with significantly increased risk of CVD mortality. In addition, regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with elevated CVD mortality. Our results support current recommendations to limit the intake of calories from added sugars in US diets." This supports the article's claim that consuming too much sugar poses health risks.

Additionally, I looked up "sugar health risks" on Google and found many other articles covering the topic, including a study by the National Library of Medicine which states that, "very little scientific evidence exists that indicates a benefit of added dietary sugars; however, an overwhelming and growing body of evidence highlights the negative effects of excessive or prolonged sugar intake." An article by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also corroborated the claim. Therefore, considering the high credibility of the article, it's referenced study, and outside sources, it's clear that this claim is true.

Comments

This fact check is very informational and it is clear you put alot of effort into it, particularly I like how while the article didnt have an author, you did background research on one of the main sources of the article even going as far as finding his background and the history of his research he has done, proving his credibility.

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This is the best fact-check I've ever seen. You have amazing claims that your evidence backs-up and you lay out your information in an easy-to-read format that flows nicely.

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I really found your fact check insightful as you utilize a variety of sources and you did a very good job in researching the topics. But to nitpick, you could flesh out your end claims as well as your beginning claims, since what you cited is incredibly good, but in terms of the fact check it seems as if you are just name dropping. All in all, the fact check is incredibly well researched and incredibly well constructed.

Answer 2

The article "The sweet danger of sugar" was published in January 2022 by Harvard Medical School. In this article it is stated that there was an association found between a high-sugar diet and a greater risk of dying from heart disease. Dr. Hu is a professor of Harvard medical school and in 2014 he conducted a 15-year study with his colleagues that determined that people who got 17% to 21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease. Dr. Hu says "Basically, the higher the intake of added sugar, the higher the risk for heart disease." A way that you can control your added sugar intake is by reading food labels and moderately cutting back on the foods where large amounts of brown sugar, corn syrup, fruit juice concentrates, malt sugar, molasses, etc. are found. However, it is important to eat everything in moderation and balance your nutrient intake. Eating in moderation supports your metabolism and digestion, maintains energy levels and also promotes a healthy relationship with food. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar

https://blogs.cornell.edu/daytodayeats/2022/05/16/what-is-eating-in-moderation/ 

Comments

Really good job fact checking! I liked that you did research on the doctor and explained how his study proved the statement. However, I think that you could have done other research outside of just this one study to see if his results are accurate and similar to other studies.