(RxWiki News) Consuming fructose for more than a week does not cause humans' blood pressure to rise according to a new study.
Previous studies had shown an immediate increase in blood pressure after a person ingested fructose, but researchers actually saw decrease in diastolic readings.
"Consult a doctor if you experience a sudden increase in blood pressure."
Lead author, Vanessa Ha, a Master of Nutritional Sciences student at the University of Toronto, and her colleagues analyzed the results of 13 feeding trials during which 352 people consumed fructose for over seven days.
The participants averaged 78.5g of fructose consumption a day, about 60 percent more than the average American's 49g daily intake of fructose.
The researchers considered both processed and natural fructose. Fruit contains natural fructose, also found in high-fructose corn syrup.
They found the fructose had no effect on the participants' systolic blood pressure and that their diastolic blood pressure actually decreased.
"A lot of health concerns have been raised about fructose being a dietary risk factor for hypertension, which can lead to stroke, cardiovascular disease, renal disease and death," Ha said.
"However, we wanted to determine whether fructose itself raised blood pressure, or if the apparent harm attributed to fructose was simply because people are eating too many calories," she said.
The study was published online February 13 in the journal Hypertension, published by the American Heart Association. The study was funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Knowledge Synthesis Grant and a Calorie Control Council research grant.
The authors disclosed a range of competing interests, including grants, funding and consulting fees from various companies, including Coca-Cola, the California Strawberry Commission, Kellogg's, Quaker Oats, the International Nut Council and several supermarket companies.
