Common Sweetener Raises Blood Pressure

Fructose, or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), is added as a sweetener to many processed foods and beverages.  Citing that: “Consumption of fructose in the form of sucrose or high fructose corn syrup has increased dramatically in industrialized nations. This increase mirrors the dramatic rise in the prevalence of hypertension. Previous studies have been inconsistent in linking excessive fructose intake to hypertension,” Diana I. Jalal, from University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center (USA), and colleagues studied 4,528 adults who did not have a history of high blood pressure. The team found that those who consumed more than 74 grams of fructose per day (the equivalent of the amount in 2.5 sweetened soft drinks) raised their risk of high blood pressure by 28% to 87%, depending on the level of hypertension.  The team concludes that: “These results indicate that high fructose intake in the form of added sugars is significantly and independently associated with higher blood pressure levels in the US adult population with no previous history of hypertension.”