Home |  E-newsletters |  RSS |  Become a Member |  Feedback

What Works in Public Education

Sugar Baddy: Curb Your Craving

by Abby Christopher

Put your quarters down and step away from the soda machine. According to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, high-sugar soft drinks are among the worst things for your heart. Ditto for those sweet treats in the other vending machines. Sugar-saturated soda and candy not only can lead to Type 2 diabetes, they also do a number on your heart.

Study participants without diabetes who had "high normal" blood sugar levels were at an increased heart disease risk, even after accounting for other factors such as age, cholesterol level, blood pressure, body-mass index, and smoking.

"Improving blood-glucose control may further reduce heart disease risk," says Elizabeth Selvin, lead author of the study on blood sugar levels and heart disease, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Though fried foods and trans fats are known to lay siege to the heart, the Johns Hopkins study is one of the first to add sugar to the list of heart-health enemies.

As if our dentists' warnings weren't depressing enough, this is another blow to those of us who crave sweets. So, are any goodies actually good for the heart? Well, brew up a cup of unsweetened cocoa from scratch (but go light on the sugar). Cocoa packs a considerable antioxidant punch, with plenty of plaque-fighting polyphenols; dark chocolate, however, pales by comparison.

Merging one's heart's delight with what's good for the heart is a challenge, because nature, having designed us to be lean and hungry hunter-gatherers, has also wired us to love foods that are all wrong for our modern, more sedentary lives. But a healthy heart doesn't require a spartan diet. Below are foods that taste good, and -- ticker-wise -- are good.

Heart-Healthy Foods

Food	What Makes It Good for You
Black lentils	Antioxidants, folate (folic acid) -- which decreases homocysteine, a substance that damages artery walls -- and magnesium, to improve the flow of blood, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the body.
Cocoa powder	Polyphenols (antioxidants that reduce plaque buildup in arteries).
Celery Dried and fresh fruits Lean red meat	Potassium, which reduces cholesterol. Potassium, to maintain health of blood vessels. Omega-3 fatty acids increase blood flow; B vitamins reduce plaque. (Tip: Buffalo is better than beef.)
Pomegranates	Reduce atherosclerotic lesions in people with heart disease.
Potatoes	Kukoamines, compounds that decrease blood pressure.
Turmeric	Vitamin B6, which fights plaque buildup and lowers cholesterol.
Whole grains	Reduce plaque.

This article was also published in the February 2006 issue of Edutopia magazine.