Fructose-Heavy Diet Raises Blood Pressure And Hypertension

Study Finds Sweet Diet Raises Men's Blood Pressure

A small study is among the first to show that regular consumption of fructose-heavy foods and drinks might raise blood pressure—at least in men, Bloomberg reports. The federally funded study of 74 middle-aged men found that after two weeks, those on a high-fructose diet saw an average 5 percent increase in their blood pressure.

Researchers also found that a treatment for gout, a condition caused by too much uric acid in the blood, helped stop the rise in blood pressure. "We're not ready to lower uric acid as a means to lower blood pressure," study author Richard Johnson said. For now, he told Bloomberg, the best precautionary measure is to avoid overconsumption of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. Results were presented at an annual American Heart Association conference on high blood pressure.