Study launched to find link between sugar and blood pressure
Posted Jun 13, 2012 1:07 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Researchers in Calgary want to find out once and for all if sugar raises blood pressure.
The University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services doctors are looking specifically at fructose found in sweetened drinks and food and they need some volunteers to test their theory.
“Our theory is that fructose, in effect, turns on a hormonal switch that raises blood pressure,” says Dr. Sofia Ahmed, an AHS nephrologist and member of the University of Calgary’s Libin Cardiovascular Institute and the Alberta Kidney Disease Network.
“This has been proven in animal studies but it’s never been demonstrated in humans.”
They are looking for healthy men and women who will have to drink a lot of sugary beverages during the study.
“The problem is, the introduction of high fructose corn syrup has paralleled a rise in obesity, high blood pressure and irritable bowel syndrome,” Dr. Ahmed says. “It’s been part of an evolving fast food diet that does more harm than good.”
To learn more or volunteer for the study, click here.
