It's untrue to say that soft drinks always raise your blood pressure, but it happens often enough to be a cause for concern. The problem in researching the connection arises from isolating it as the sole reason for the blood pressure increase. It may also be that people who consume soft drinks lead an overall, unhealthy lifestyle. Further research is necessary to confirm the connection between soft drink consumption and blood pressure.
Caffeine
Soft drinks often contain caffeine, a natural stimulant. A 12-ounce cola drink has about 35 mg of caffeine. Other varieties can have up to 71 mg of caffeine in a 12-ounce serving. In comparison, an 8-ounce cup of coffee has 95 to 200 mg of caffeine, depending on brand and brewing method. According to MayoClinic.com, the caffeine in 24 ounces of coffee can have an immediate, though temporary, impact on your blood pressure, raising it 3 to 14 millimeters of mercury, or mm Hg. While soft drinks have less caffeine, keep in mind that you may have multiple servings throughout the day.
Sugar
Eliminating or reducing sugary drinks from your diet may help lower your blood pressure. In the June 8, 2010, issue of "Circulation," Dr. Liwei Chen writes that in one trial, study participants who reduced their daily consumption of sugary drinks by an average of 1.3 servings over an 18-month period, experienced a 1.5 mm HG greater reduction in blood pressure than study participants who did not reduce consumption. Dr. Chen is a faculty member at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.
Salt
Each day, 80 percent of adolescents and 63 percent of adults consume sugar-sweetened drinks, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Dietary salt intake may influence that consumption, especially in children. In an article published in the March 2008 issue of "Hypertension," Feng J. He, lead author of the study and a cardiovascular research fellow at St. George's University of London, writes that children who consume a low-sodium diet consume fewer sugary drinks than other children. In addition, reducing salt intake by just 1 g per day could reduce that drink consumption by 100 g.
Recommendations
If you are concerned about your blood pressure, reduce your consumption not only of soft drinks, but all sugary drinks. Even if blood pressure is not a concern, consuming fewer soft drinks may improve your overall health by decreasing your risk for diabetes and metabolic syndrome, a set of risk factors that greatly increase your risk for diabetes. Following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH eating plan, can help lower your blood pressure. The plan emphasizes consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains but recommends that you consume fewer sugary drinks.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Caffeine Content for Coffee, Tea, Soda and More; October 3, 2009
- MayoClinic.com; High Blood Pressure (Hypertension); Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.; November 14, 2009
- "Circulation"; Reducing Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Is Associated With Reduced Blood Pressure; Liwei Chen, M.D., Ph.D., et al.; June 8, 2010
- Centers for Disease Control; The CDC Guide to Strategies for Reducing the Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages; March 2010
- "Hypertension"; Salt Intake, Hypertension, and Obesity in Children; Feng J. He, Ph.D., et al.; March 2008
- "Diabetes Care"; Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes; Vasanti S. Malic, Sc.D., et al.; November 2010
