June 16, 2010 – Reducing your consumption of sugary drinks (juice with added sugar, soft drinks, iced tea, etc.) would be associated with a drop in blood pressure, a study reveals1 American.
A team of Louisiana researchers followed, for 18 months, 810 adults suffering from prehypertension (120-139 mmHg) or stage 1 hypertension (140-159 mmHg). The participants’ blood pressure was measured several times throughout the study and accurate data was collected regarding their intakes of various foods and drinks.
During the study, participants were asked to modify certain aspects of their eating habits in order to measure the effect of these changes on their blood pressure. A third of them (270 participants) reduced their consumption of sugary drinks.
The results indicate that a reduction of 375 ml per day in the consumption of sugary drinks resulted in a decrease of 1.8 mmHg in systolic pressure and a decrease of 1.1 mmHg in diastolic pressure. Diet drinks (sweetened with sugar substitutes) had no significant effect on blood pressure. Neither do drinks high in caffeine. In contrast, the authors observed that a reduction in overall dietary sugar intake was associated with a significant drop in blood pressure.
Sugary drinks are the most important source of sugar in the diet of Americans. It is estimated that the average American absorbs 875 ml per day from various sugary drinks. According to the authors, the results of their study should encourage health authorities to consider the creation of programs aimed at reducing the consumption of sugary drinks in the population.
According to their estimates, an average reduction of 3 mm Hg in systolic pressure would reduce the death rate associated with stroke by 8% and the mortality rate due to coronary disorders by 5%.
It is not yet clear what are the mechanisms by which sugar pushes blood pressure up, but clinical evidence to support this hypothesis is mounting. Of course, lowering calorie intake leads to weight loss, which helps lower blood pressure, but the authors of the present study point out that lowering sugar intake has higher blood pressure lowering effects than it does. that could be attributed to the weight loss it causes.
However, clinical trials will need to be conducted to measure the effectiveness of reducing the consumption of sugary drinks on high blood pressure, the researchers say.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
1. Chen L, Caballero B, et al. Reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with reduced blood pressure: a prospective study among United States adults. Circulation. 2010 Jun 8; 121 (22): 2398-406
