The one thing silently damaging your heart and it's not cholesterol

A cardiologist has sounded a warning on one type of food - and said it is more harmful to the heart even than high cholesterol.

Heart specialist Dr DmitryYaranov explained on Instagram that sugar intake is linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, calling on individuals to reduce consumption for better health. The rise of wellness trends has seen people incorporating supposedly 'nutritious' components or food products into their meals.

But Dr Dmitry Yaranov, MD (cardiology), said: "As a cardiologist, I see heart disease caused by more than just cholesterol. There’s a common additive — hiding in drinks, snacks, sauces, and “healthy” foods — that’s hurting hearts and fueling diabetes.

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"Just one serving a day is linked to an 18% higher heart disease risk. Two or more? 21% higher — even in people who work out.
In 2025, researchers showed that high intake, especially from ultra-processed foods, raises heart disease risk by 17%, coronary artery disease by 23%, and stroke by 9%."

Dr Yaranov said that globally, it is tied to more than 1 million new heart cases and 2.2 million new type 2 diabetes cases in a year. He said that a JAMA Internal Medicine study found people getting more than 25% of calories from it had over twice the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease vs those eating less than 10%.

He said: "It fuels inflammation, raises blood pressure, worsens cholesterol, and disrupts glucose control — a double hit for heart and pancreas."

He added that most people eat much more than the recommended daily intake of less than 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons a day for me - two to three times too much in most cases.

Dr Yaranov said: "Check your labels. Limit it. Protect your heart and your blood SUGAR. Not cholesterol, this 1 thing quietly harms your heart."

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) recommends that adults limit free sugars (sugars added to food and drinks, and those naturally found in honey, syrups, and fruit juices) to no more than 30g per day to reduce the risk of weight gain and heart and circulatory diseases.

Senior Dietitian Victoria Taylor said: "Free or added sugar shouldn’t make up more than 5 per cent of the calories we get from food and drink, which is about 30g a day for adults. In the UK, dietary surveys show on average we are exceeding these recommendations.

"Front-of-pack labels will tell you the total sugar content, and if it’s greater than 22.5g per 100g or there is more than 27g in one portion, then the product is high in sugar. You also need to check the ingredients list to see whether sugars have been added to your food or if they are naturally occurring. The higher up the list the added sugars are, the more there are."

For more information on avoiding sugar from theBHF click here.