Salt and sodium-laden processed foods bear the brunt of the blame for high blood pressure, but sugary sweets play a role as well. At best, your uncontrolled sweet tooth could be contributing to conditions that wreak havoc on your heart. At worst, you might directly be elevating your blood pressure. Considering high blood pressure contributes to heart disease, stroke risk and a host of other problems, you should make taming your sweets habit a priority.
Direct Effects
Mounting evidence indicates that high-sugar diets directly affect blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. A 2010 study by Louisiana State University showed that people who cut a single 12-ounce sugar-sweetened beverage out of their daily diet had a slight decrease in blood pressure. This did not occur with artificially sweetened beverages or with unsweetened caffeinated beverages, indicating sugar is the culprit. Possible reasons include sugar kick-starting the nervous system or causing the body to store more sodium. Although the AHA says a direct link between sugar and high blood pressure is inconclusive, it still recommends limiting sweets for overall cardiovascular health.
Indirect Effects
Eating a lot of sweets can cause conditions that put you at a greater risk for hypertension. Sugar disrupts metabolism, elevates triglyceride levels in the blood and increases your chance of obesity. You're more likely to have high blood pressure if you're overweight. In addition, high-sugar diets increase your risk of diabetes, and about two out of three people with diabetes also have high blood pressure, according to the American Diabetes Association. Even if you monitor your overall caloric intake, sweets are taking the place of nutritious foods your body needs, including nutrients such as potassium that can help control blood pressure.
Recommendations
If high blood pressure is a concern, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan. While the DASH plan concentrates largely on upping your intake of fruits, grains and vegetables, it also includes a recommendation to limit sweets to five servings per week. A serving of sweets contains only a tablespoon of sugar, such as half an ounce of jellybeans or half a cup of sorbet. Even if blood pressure is not a problem, the AHA recommends limiting added sugar intake -- sweets, sodas and table sugar -- to 6 tsp. a day for women and 9 tsp. for men. A single non-diet soda will put you at or above that level.
Alternatives
You don't need to eschew sweets entirely if you are watching your blood pressure. MayoClinic.com suggests sticking to low-fat sweets, including sorbets, fruit ices and hard candy. Sweets made with sugar substitutes also can satisfy your craving without disrupting your sugar intake -- but don't overindulge, as these also can boost more sugar cravings. One sweet might actually help your blood pressure: dark chocolate, which contains natural substances called flavanols that might improve cardiovascular health. Many chocolate candies you see in stores are heavily processed milk chocolates that contain few flavanols, so check labels to ensure you're eating dark chocolate, and still limit yourself to a few ounces per week at most.
References
- "Circulation"; Dietary Sugars Intake and Cardiovascular Health; Rachel K. Johnson, et al.; August 2009
- NPR; It's Not Just Salt: Sugar Boosts Blood Pressure, Too; Richard Knox; May 2010
- "Circulation"; Reducing Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Is Associated With Reduced Blood Pressure; Liwei Chin, et al.; May 2010
- Cleveland Clinic; Eating Too Much Sugar? It's Time to Tame Your Sweet Tooth; Melissa Ohlson, M.D.; December 2009
- American Diabetes Association: High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: What Are the Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity?
