fructose

An article in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology links pop consumption - specifically throught fructose - with elevated blood pressure. The researchers from the University of Colorado used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to look at 4500 adults with no history of hypertension. They adjusted for a range of factors and found that consumption of at least 74 grams per day of fructose - equal to about 2 1/2 bottles/cans of pop - significantly increases the likelihood of high blood pressure.

Another article in WebMD notes that the research is under fire from the Corn Refiners Association, whose members I assume make a lot of fructose, as well as the American Beverage Association. The Corn Refiners argue that the researchers miscalculated the amount of fructose in a pop because it doesn't take account of other sugars used in soft drinks. However, as reported here last Spring, a clinical study by another group of researchers compared glucose consumption with fructose consumption. This group found that fructose promoted an increase of bad fat - visceral adipose tissue - higher lipids, and decreased insulin senstivity when compared to glucose.

The president of the American Society of Hypertension also commented in the WebMD piece - saying that all sugar is bad and that fructose shouldn't be singled out but not really criticizing the science of the research.

Sugar, among other things, is associated with fat and diabetes. But it's beginning to seem that not all sugar is created equal. Recent research indicates that fructose is a problem. A recent report in the Renal and Urology News indicates that high fructose consumption (more than 74 grams or 2 1/2  soft drinks a day) is associated with higher risk for elevated blood pressure. It should be noted, though, that this study was delivered at a conference in the Fall but it has not yet been published.

Another study, published last Spring, found that high fructose intake can promote risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The study compared two small groups of people. One group consumed a high fructose diet. The other consumed a high glucose diet. In both cases, the sugar composed 25% of daily energy intake. The high fructose group had higher buildup of visceral adipose tissue  compared to the people with high glucose intake. Visceral adipose tissue, or VAT, is the bad fat that forms around the organs in the belly. Although high glucose intake also resulted in weight gain, it produced a different kind of fat that is not so closely associated as VAT with various kinds of metabolic problems.

The same study also found that fructose was associated with greater lipid production than glucose. Lipids are key for the deposit of cholesterol in the arteries. The fructose group also had higher blood sugar and less insulin sensitivity.