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What Are the Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup & Hypertension?

If you eat and drink many foods with high fructose corn syrup, you are at a greater risk of developing hypertension, or high blood pressure, which can lead to other serious health problems. Conversely, lowering your intake of processed foods containing this ingredient may lower your risk.

  1. Significance

    • The results of a study presented in November 2009 found that high fructose corn syrup is a "recipe" for hypertension, according to ScienceDaily. According to the Mayo Clinic, hypertension can damage your heart, arteries, kidneys and brain; it can cause stroke, kidney failure, a fatal heart attack and numerous other problems.

    Time Frame

    • According to ScienceDaily, during the past two centuries the intake of fructose has been neck and neck with the rising rate of obesity--and the obesity rate has shown a sharp increase within the last 20 years.

    Effects

    • The study's Diana Jalal, MD, of the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center, and her colleagues found that people who "ate or drank more than 74 grams per day of fructose (about 2 1/2 sodas per day) increased their risk of developing hypertension."

    Considerations

    • High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener and preservative used in many processed foods such as sodas and fruit-flavored drinks, says Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., a Mayo Clinic nutritionist. Many of these foods have a high calorie count but not much nutritional value.

    Prevention/Solution

    • To lower your intake of high fructose corn syrup, you should limit the processed foods you consume. Some ways to do this: Cut back on soda, buy fresh fruit rather than fruit juice and if you buy canned fruit, choose the kind canned in its own juice, not in syrup, Zeratsky suggests.

    Potential

    • The study reported in ScienceDaily suggests that limiting your intake of foods and drinks containing high fructose corn syrup may help prevent hypertension and its associated health risks. This could also help with weight loss in general, which is always beneficial for your health.

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