How Sugar Affects Your Heart: A Friendly Guide
1. Ever Wonder What Happens When You Eat Too Much Sugar? When we indulge in sugary treats, our body produces extra insulin, like a traffic cop trying to manage the sugar rush. Excess sugar triggers higher insulin levels, which are closely linked to insulin resistance and blood sugar spikes. 2. Did You Know Insulin Can Harm Your Arteries? Too much insulin can start to damage the inner walls of your arteries, making them weak and inflamed. High insulin levels are a major contributor to arterial inflammation and cardiovascular disease. 3. Guess What Your Body Does Next? Your body goes into repair mode, sending immune cells, LDL cholesterol, and a protein called fibrin to patch up the damage, like a team of emergency responders. This response is connected to arterial plaque formation. 4. Think Plaque Only Forms in Your Teeth? This "patch" turns into plaque in your arteries, mostly made of fibrin and LDL. Fibrin makes up a significant part of arterial plaque—about 68%. However, pe...