Sugary drinks, hypertension linked
Consuming sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas and fruit drinks on a daily routine places the individual with a greater risk of developing high blood pressure in the long run.
A study of about 2,700 adult Americans and Britons showed that drinking every extra sugary beverage per day is associated with a 1.6 point increase in systolic blood pressure (the pressure during heart contraction) and a 1 point increase in diastolic pressure (the lower number).
Moreover, the association between using sugary drinks and higher blood pressure was stronger among individuals with higher urinary sodium excretion, noting that higher salt intake per se is an important cause of high blood pressure, according to the study published in Hypertension.
The study "suggests that individuals who consume more soda and other sugar-sweetened soft drinks may have higher blood pressure levels than those who consume less, and the problem may be exacerbated by higher salt intake," lead researcher Ian Brown said.
Imperial College London scientists failed to find any link between consuming diet beverages that are not sweetened by sugars and hypertension. The consumption of fructose or glucose-rich drinks, however, were directly associated with the condition among consumers.
"It appears that empty calories from these drinks displace calories from other foods that have beneficial nutrients such as minerals and vitamins," noted Brown, stressing that those who are used to have one or more sugar-sweetened drinks each day generally follow less healthy diets as well.
"Maybe they should consider heart-healthy alternatives including water and unsweetened teas," Brown suggested. "By doing so they’re not just making improvements to their blood pressure, which is suggested by the research that we’ve done, but also this may have other benefits for their heart health, including improvements in weight and reduced risk of diabetes."
Source: presstv.ir
