Who doesn’t love a sweet, sugary snack now and then? While refined sugar is safe to be enjoyed occasionally, consuming too much of it can have adverse effects on your heart health. Luckily, our team at Integrative Cardiology Center of Long Island is here to provide easy-to-follow tips for limiting your sugar intake to help you keep your heart healthy and safe!

Sugar And Your Heart

When it comes to the daily recommended sugar intake, it is recommended that men consume no more than nine teaspoons, dropping down to six teaspoons for women. Unfortunately, many Americans tend to consume way more sugar than the recommended amounts, usually leading to unnecessary health issues. 

When you consume too much sugar, your body produces extra insulin. As a result, artery walls may become thickened, inflamed, or stiff over time. These changes force the heart to work harder, putting it under increased amounts of stress. This extra stress can lead to heart attacks, heart disease, strokes, and in extreme cases, heart failure. 

Tips For Monitoring Your Sugar

For patients looking to put an increased focus on their heart health, one of the easiest ways to do so is limiting sugar intake. If you are looking for ways to achieve this, we recommend trying out the following:

  • Ditch The Soft Drinks: The sugar and calories present in soft drinks can add up fast. Try cutting these out altogether or substituting water for soft drinks as often as you can.
  • Know The Names: Even if you check nutrition labels and don’t see the word “sugar” listed, you are not necessarily in the clear. Other names for sugar that tend to be put on these labels include glucose, fructose, maltose, sucrose, and many more.
  • Add Fruit In: If you’ve still got a sweet tooth, adding more fruit to your diet is the perfect option. Fruit contains natural, healthy sugars, satisfying your sweet tooth without compromising your heart health.
  • Cut Back On Servings:  When cooking or baking with recipes that require sugar, consider halving the instructed amount. Doing so can help limit your sugar intake without causing a notable difference in the recipe.

The health of your heart should always be a top priority. When the integrity of this muscular organ is compromised, it can have lasting negative effects. At Integrative Cardiology Center of Long Island, our goal is to help people understand the importance of heart health and provide them with reasonable tips for maintaining it. To learn more about how we can help you improve and maintain proper heart health, be sure to contact us today!