Yet more bad news for those with a chronic sweet tooth. Conventional wisdom has long held that too much salt is bad for you and can result in high blood pressure, but the latest study would seem to indicate that added sugar is just as big a culprit.
Unlike previous studies that linked hypertension and sugar, this study involved humans. Over 4500 American adults were involved. The major finding:
People who took in 74 grams (2.6 ounces) of fructose a day or more — about 2.5 sugary drinks — had a 28 percent increased risk of blood pressure of 135/85 or higher. They had a 77 percent higher risk of extreme high blood pressure of 160/100 or more, Chonchol said.
Doctors consider 135/85 to be pre-hypertension, and 140/90 to be hypertension.
The researchers believe that of particular concern is fructose, which of course can be found in High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). As a result, nobody should be surprised that both the Corn Refiners Association and the American Beverage Association dispute the findings. The fact remains that despite the protests of organizations whose livelihoods depend on HFCS, lots of added sugars in any form are not healthy for humans.