Fructose Linked to High Blood Pressure

Watch not only products with HFCS, but any with sugar, as it can be GMO beet sugar, or any with aspartame, sucralose, rebiana, zevia, truvia, or purvia -

By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: July 01, 2010
Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston and Dorothy Caputo, MA, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, Nurse Planner

People who consume the amount of fructose found in two-and-a-half regular soft drinks a day appear to have a higher risk of hypertension, a cross-sectional study showed.

Consumption of at least 74 grams per day was associated with 26% to 77% greater odds of crossing various thresholds of elevated blood pressure (P<0.05 for all), compared with lower levels of consumption, according to Diana Jalal, MD, of the University of Colorado Denver, and colleagues.

"Limiting fructose intake is readily feasible, and, in light of our results, prospective studies are needed to assess whether decreased intake of fructose from added sugars will reduce the incidence of hypertension and the burden of cardiovascular disease in the U.S. adult population," they wrote online in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

There has been a recent increase in the consumption of fructose in developed nations due primarily to the addition of table sugar or high fructose corn syrup to soft drinks, bakery products, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, and candies.
At the same time, the prevalence of hypertension has been rising. However, epidemiological studies have yielded conflicting results as to an association between the two trends.
To explore the issue, Jalal and her colleagues used data from 4,528 adults without a history of hypertension included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003 to 2006.
The majority (61%) had a systolic blood pressure of less than 120 mm Hg. Another 30% were prehypertensive (systolic pressure of 120 to 139 mm Hg).
The rest of the participants had either stage 1 or stage 2 hypertension (6% and 2%, respectively).
Fructose intake was determined through a self-administered dietary questionnaire. Consumption of natural fruits was excluded to isolate intake of added sugar.
Median intake was 74 grams a day. Increasing systolic blood pressure was associated with increasing fructose intake, a trend that reached borderline statistical significance (P=0.05).
After adjustment for demographics, comorbidities, physical activity, smoking, total kilocalorie intake, and dietary confounders including total carbohydrate, alcohol, salt, potassium, and vitamin C intake, as well as other factors, fructose intake of 74 grams per day or higher was associated with higher odds of elevated blood pressure at the following thresholds (P<0.05 for all):

• 135/85 mm Hg: OR 1.26
• 140/90 mm Hg: OR 1.30
• 160/100 mm Hg: OR 1.77

Additional analyses showed that fructose intake was associated with systolic -- but not diastolic -- blood pressure.
The reason this study, and not some previous studies, found an association between fructose consumption and hypertension could be because of the high level of consumption in the current study, according to Jalal and her colleagues.
In addition, some previous studies looked only at soft drink consumption or included naturally occurring fructose from fruit in their analyses.
There are several possible mechanisms that might explain the positive association between fructose and blood pressure, the authors wrote, "including stimulation of uric acid, inhibition of [the] endothelial nitric oxide synthase system, and stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, or by directly increasing sodium absorption in the gut."
The study was limited, they wrote, by the inability to establish a causal relationship between fructose and blood pressure using cross-sectional data, the reliance on self-reports, and the possibility of confounding by glucose in the foods assessed on the dietary questionnaire.
The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.
Jalal reported no conflicts of interest. One of her co-authors is listed as an inventor on several patent applications for lowering uric acid as it relates to blood pressure and metabolic syndrome. He is also author of The Sugar Fix.

Primary source: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
Source reference: Jalal D, et al "Increased fructose associates with elevated blood pressure" J Am Soc Nephrol 2010; DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2009111111.

Fructose Worsens Liver Disease

32 + articles about liver health concerns can be found in Natural Health News

Our Liver cleansing and Liver care products have provided excellent results to hundreds of clients over the years...contact us for more information.

This is one indication of the need for detoxification. Colon cleansing IS NOT detoxification. Our decades of experience with detoxification products and programs offers much more to our clients than found elsewhere.

Cigarette smoking, fructose consumption exacerbates liver disease, study finds

ScienceDaily (2010-04-27) -- Recent studies suggest that modifiable risk factors such as cigarette smoking and fructose consumption can worsen nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). With NAFLD, fat accumulates in the liver of overweight individuals despite drinking little alcohol, causing in some cases liver scarring that can lead to liver failure. Identifying modifiable factors that contribute to disease severity and progression is essential in improving patient outcomes. ... > read full article

HFCS Toxic to Bees, Toxic to You

Formation of Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in Domestic High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and Its Toxicity to the Honey Bee.

If you heat High Fructose Corn Syrup if becomes toxic hydroxymethylfurfural which can break down into other more toxic components.

Since HFCS is found in almost every item at your grocer, it may move you to read labels.

Ignorance and Sports Drinks

UPDATE: April 16. Here is an absolutely crazy way for athletes to get energy - use something loaded with artificial sweeteners.

"Researchers tested three drinks. One contained glucose, a sugar. A second had maltodextrin, a tasteless carbohydrate. The third was plain water. All three were laced with artificial sweeteners until they tasted identically sweet."

It's a heart damaging thing, adding all that artificial sweet stuff.
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If one takes the time to look up the ingredients for the "sports" drink category there are a number of red flags as far as health and nutrition.

A major concern is the use of high fructose corn syrup as a key sweetener in these products. HFCS has a negative effect on health and contributes to obesity. It is also involved in dental health, generally in a negative way.

Citric acid is also a concern, and its effect on dental enamel has been known for a very long time.

The inclusion of sucralose, aspartame and acesulfameK are also problematic as are the food colorings and artificial flavorings used in the products.

Aluminum cans react with certain ingredients in these products.

In general we recommend to avoid any products with HFCS and artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners.

Our herbalYODA's sportZtea is a healthier alternative.

We also suggest our natural tooth powder that helps rebuild dental enamel.

Sports Drinks May Damage Your Teeth
Researchers Say the Drinks Cause Tooth Erosion; Beverage Industry Calls Study Methods Unrealistic
By Bill Hendrick, WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
April 3, 2009 -- Sports drinks may boost your energy, but they can also weaken your teeth, a new study shows.

The popular energy drinks sipped by many athletes to increase stamina contain levels of acid that can cause tooth erosion, hypersensitivity, and staining, according to the findings of New York University dental researchers.

The beverages also can cause excessive tooth wear and may damage underlying bone-like material, causing teeth to soften and weaken, the researchers say. The drinks may also possibly trigger conditions leading to severe tooth damage and loss.

The findings are being presented at the International Association for Dental Research in Miami.

"This is the first time that the citric acid in sports drinks has been linked to erosive tooth wear," says Mark Wolff, DDS, professor and chairman of the department of cardiology and comprehensive care at New York University College of Dentistry.

He says people who use sports energy drinks for energy should not brush their teeth immediately after drinking the beverages. Softened enamel, he says, is highly susceptible to the abrasive properties of toothpaste.

To prevent tooth erosion, Wolff says:
Drink sports drinks in moderation.
Wait at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth to allow softened enamel to reharden.
If you drink a lot of sports drinks, ask your dentist if you should use an acid-neutralizing remineralizing toothpaste to help reharden soft enamel.

Sports Drink Study 'Unfair'
In the study, cows’ teeth were cut in half. Half of the specimens were immersed in a sports drink, the other half in water, and then the halves were compared. The five sports drinks tested were Vitamin Water, Life Water, Gatorade, Powerade, and Propel Fit Water.

All five caused softening, but Gatorade and Powerade also caused "significant" staining, according to an abstract of the study.

Cows’ teeth were used because of their close resemblance to human teeth, according to a news release.

Craig Stevens, spokesman for the American Beverage Association, says such studies are unfair and do not present "an accurate or actual picture of the way sports drinks are consumed."

"The testing procedures they used are outside the realm of what happens in real life," he says. "Beverages pass right through the mouth, and these beverages have a purpose, and are proven to enhance physical performance. To use them like this is simply providing unhelpful information to consumers."

He adds: "To suggest that sports drinks are a unique cause of dental caries or tooth erosion is overly simplistic. Oral health is determined by a variety of factors, including types of food consumed and the length of time foods are kept in the mouth."

SOURCES:
News release, New York University.
International Association for Dental Research, Miami, April 1-4, 2009.
Craig Stevens, spokesman, American Beverage Association.
© 2009 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/09/energy-drinks.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/there-are-healthy-energy-drinks.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/18/FDGS24VKMH1.DTL

http://www.leaflady.org/sweet_but_not_so_innocent.htm