We know that a diet high in sugar can contribute to obesity, which in turn can cause hypertension. But now scientists have discovered that sugar, especially fructose, can have a direct bearing on one’s blood pressure. The connection? Uric acid. If you have gout, you probably know a bit about uric acid. It’s the substance that builds up in joints during a painful gout attack. But it seems that uric acid can also inhibit the production of nitric oxide, a compound that is essential for keeping our blood vessels flexible – when our blood vessels are less flexible and compliant, hypertension sets in. Researchers tested this theory by placing subjects on a high-fructose diet and giving some of them allopurinol, a drug commonly used to reduce uric acid levels in patients with gout. Those who weren’t on the drug had a 6 mm Hg-increase in systolic blood pressure and a 3 mm Hg-increase in diastolic pressure, compared to those on allopurinol. These findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s High Blood Pressure Research Conference in Chicago. [via ABC News]
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Tags: blood pressure, fructose, gout, hypertension, obesity, sugar, uric acid
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
September 28th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
I was wanting more info on this story some how. I have PCOS and I have to watch how much sugars I eat.Since my body is Insulin Resistance. I was wondering about the High-Fructose, maybe I was reading it wrong,.But, it sounded as if the ones that took High Fructose gotten a better Blood Pressure reading than the ones that didn’t? How can I get more info on this subject and study?
Thank you! Great story.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
No comment. Just questions. What is the alternative? Are there any safe sweetening agents?