In the fight against hypertension, dietitians usually reduce the salt in meals (three to six grams of salt a day is the optimal amount for health) as a preventive measure. A new American study denies this remedy, pointing directly to sugar, especially fructose . The work has been published in the Open Heart magazine.
Sucrose, or table sugar, is a disaccharide composed of two monosaccharides: glucose and fructose. Sucrose is a common ingredient in industrially processed foods, but it is not as common as another sweetener: corn syrup (fructose); It is the sweetener most used in processed foods – particularly in fruit drinks and soft drinks .
According to research, high sugar intake was shown to significantly increase systolic pressure and diastolic blood pressure in trials of 8 weeks or longer. Thus, people who consume 25% or more of calories from sugar have almost three times the risk of death from cardiovascular disease , according to this research, and even moderate doses of sugar in short periods of time can cause harm.
Excessive fructose consumption increases heart rate, cardiac output, renal sodium retention, and vascular resistance ; All of these can interact to raise blood pressure and increase myocardial oxygen demand. However, the intake of sugars of natural origin (such as those of fruits) is not only not harmful but it is beneficial for the body.
” Cutting down on added sugars by limiting processed foods would be a good place to start, ” explains study co-author James DiNicolantonio.
