What Are The Dangers Of High Fructose Corn Syrup & Hypertension?

If you eat foods or drink beverages with added sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, you may be putting yourself at increased risk of hypertension. High-fructose corn syrup is one of the most common sweeteners used in sodas and processed foods made in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 31.3 percent of American adults have high blood pressure. If you're one of them, your odds of heart disease and stroke are also higher. The American Heart Association says excessive consumption of high-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, is playing a role in the epidemic of hypertension.

Metabolic Disorders

HFCS is a popular, and controversial, food sweetener and preservative. You may also hear lobbyists refer to it as corn sugar. HFCS a mixture of simple sugars, and in most formulas, contains slightly more fructose than glucose. Over the past several decades, use of HFCS has grown substantially. At the same time, so have rates of obesity and diabetes. Scientists think the two trends are linked, but the American Medical Association says there's no need to limit one type of sugar over another while evidence is still being explored. However, to date, researchers have linked HFCS with reduced sensitivity to leptin and insulin, promotion of belly fat and an increase in blood pressure.

Cardiovascular Disease

Hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, is a disease marked by too much force against the walls of your blood vessels as your heart pumps out blood. Hypertension can weaken and scar your blood vessels, making them prone to rupturing. You have an increased risk of blood clots and the buildup of plaques in your blood vessels when you have hypertension. Ultimately, your organs, including your brain, don't get enough freshly oxygenated blood, and they can become damaged as a result of high blood pressure. Hypertension can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and kidney failure. You can also have too much pressure in the arteries connected to your lungs, a condition called pulmonary hypertension.

HFCS May Cause Hypertension

A report in "Medical News Today" says drinking roughly two and a half cans of soda every day can raise your risk of hypertension by 28 to 87 percent over time. HFCS is the most ubiquitous soda sweetener in use in the United States. HFCS can promote an increase in the level of uric acid, a waste product, in your bloodstream. This process can strain your kidneys, and too much uric acid is often one of the first signs of high blood pressure.

Know Your Risk

More research needs to take place to determine whether low-fructose consumption prevents the development of hypertension. Although the AMA hasn't recommended changes in what consumers are told about HFCS, eating or drinking too much sugar is still a problem. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee says frankly, Americans consume too much of it, and added sugars like HFCS, are inserting up to 35 percent more calories in our daily diets. Limiting your entire sugar intake, therefore, will help you avoid the potential problems associated with HFCS. You can also monitor your blood pressure regularly. Any reading higher than 120/80 puts you at an elevated risk of hypertension. If you are diabetic or have other health problems, your health care provider may want you to have an even lower reading.