Researchers have found a link between sugar- sweetened beverages and high blood pressure. Findings published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association suggest that cutting out one sugar sweetened drink daily could lower blood pressure. An extra benefit of eliminating sugar is weight loss that can also reduce the chances of developing metabolic syndrome that leads to heart disease and diabetes.
Liwei Chen, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Public Health at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans says there is no direct cause that explains the findings. After adjusting for weight loss that occurred from consuming fewer calories, the researchers still found lower blood pressure when study participants reduced their sugar intake by eliminating one drink with sugar daily.
The scientists analyzed dietary intake among 810 adults, finding the link between high blood pressure and sugar in drinks that included sodas and juices. No association to high blood pressure was discovered from consuming diet drinks or from caffeine.
Over a period of 18 months, blood pressure readings dropped 1.8 points for systolic blood pressure and 1.1 point diastolic. After making adjustments for other factors, the scientists still found that cutting out one sugar drink a day led to lower blood pressure readings.
“By reducing the amount of sugar in your diet, you are also reducing the number of calories you consume and may lose weight,” adds Dr. Chen. “But even among those whose weight was stable, we still found that people who drank fewer sugar sweetened beverage lowered their blood pressure.”
Dr. Chen says eliminating one drink a day with sugar can provide immediate benefits. The scientists also say it may not be caffeine in drinks that leads to high blood pressure as previously suspected. Sugar in drinks could be the culprit behind the soaring rates of high blood pressure found especially in the United States, but more studies are needed to find a causal relationship.
Also Read:
- Home Remedies for High Blood Pressure
- Diet Soda Linked To Premature Birth
- Health tips to control hypertension (high blood pressure) easily
- How to Lower your Blood Pressure: Simple Steps
- Obesity Increases Heart Risks
by on 25. May, 2010 in Health News
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