This Could Be the Single Worst Thing for Your Heart!

Scott: We've talked about inflammation a little bit, and in your book you mention sugar as being a real problem.  Just how bad is it?

Dr. Stephen Sinatra: It's real bad.  It's very bad.  To the point where the nonsense sugars, the horrific sugars, like the colas, the sodas, these are just dead, empty calories.  And all they do is just drive insulin.  And we know, as cardiologists, and actually the medical profession gets this now, is that the single worst entity for causing what we call endothelial cell dysfunction, or inflammation of the tiny little capillaries of the, ah blood vessels, is surging relationships of insulin.  It's a very pro-inflammatory hormone.  It's sort of a paradox.  We need insulin in our bodies.  But when we get too much of it, it causes an inflammatory state.  

So look at the foods we eat, you know, breads, pastas, crackers, bagels, high fructose corn syrup sodas.  I mean the list goes on and on.  What we need to tell our patients is really cut back on the sugars.  I never had sodas in my house when my kids were growing up.  They used to argue with me all the time.  Now they're all affiliated with the medical profession, they thank me now you know?  We're so glad you kept chips and soda out of the house.

So you know, when you're eating out of a box and can for the majority of your diet, you're eating a pro-inflammatory diet.  So sugar is really bad.