Sugary Diet Linked to High Blood Pressure

With the steadily rising increase of fructose intake in industrialized nations, health experts have noticed a concomitant rise in the prevalence of hypertension, a.k.a. high blood pressure. Diana I. Jalal, from the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center, and colleagues analyzed data on 4,528 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Subjects were aged 18 and older and had normal blood pressure at the study’s start. Researchers surveyed them as to dietary habits and measured their blood pressure. Those whose diet included 74 grams or more per day of fructose—that is, the equivalent of 2 1/2 sugary soft drinks—daily were at a 30 percent greater risk for developing a blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg and a 77 percent higher risk for developing a blood pressure reading of 160/100 mmHg. The researchers conclude that “high fructose intake, in the form of added sugar, independently associates with higher [blood pressure] levels among U.S. adults without a history of hypertension.”

Jalal, D.I., et al. (2010). Increased fructose associates with elevated blood pressure. J Am Soc Nephrol. doi:10.1681/ASN.2009111111.

Editor’s note: For the latest information and research on health and aging, subscribe to the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine e-zine free at WorldHealth.net.