Eating foods that spike your blood sugar quickly may double your chance of getting heart disease, even if you don’t have other risk factors like high blood pressure or smoking.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (3)
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This study found that women who ate lots of foods that spike blood sugar quickly (like white bread and sugary snacks) had almost twice the risk of heart disease, even when other factors like smoking or weight were taken into account.
Glycemic index, glycemic load, and risk of coronary heart disease: a pan-European cohort study.
This big study found that eating lots of foods that spike blood sugar (like white bread or sugary snacks) is linked to a higher chance of heart disease, even after accounting for other risk factors — but the increase wasn’t as huge as the claim says.
Dietary Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load, and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke, and Stroke Mortality: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
This study found that eating lots of sugary and refined carbs (high glycemic load) is linked to a higher chance of heart disease, especially in women and people who are overweight — so yes, it supports the idea that these diets raise heart disease risk.
Contradicting (1)
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Effects of low- and high-glycemic index/glycemic load diets on coronary heart disease risk factors in overweight/obese men.
This study gave people high-sugar and low-sugar diets for a month and found no clear harm from the high-sugar diet — in fact, some cholesterol numbers got better. So it doesn't support the idea that high-sugar diets double the risk of heart disease.
Gold Standard Evidence Needed
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