Fructose May Raise Blood Pressure

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As a registered dietitian and consultant to the food and beverage industry who has been monitoring the research on the effects of sweeteners on health and body weight for many years, this story captured my attention. What I quickly discovered after reading this and the original press release from which it was taken is that the headlines and data don’t agree.
It seems journalists and their editors cannot understand the simple fact that common table sugar and high fructose corn syrup are made of the exact same two ingredients – glucose and fructose. They have the same sweetening power, the same number of calories and are metabolized in the same way. Once consumed and digested, the body cannot tell which one was eaten.
This study looked at the available fructose from all sources of added sugar found in soft drinks, bakery products, candy, jam, syrup, dried fruits, and such, not just those sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Those who consumed an average of 74 mg of fructose a day from all of those sources had an increased likelihood of elevated blood pressure. No information was provided in the study to indicate what type of sweetener, whether sugar, high fructose corn syrup or honey, was used in the foods and beverages the subjects consumed.
The results indicate that high fructose intake - which is distinctly different from high fructose corn syrup - in the form of added sugars is significantly and independently associated with higher blood pressure levels in the US adult population with no previous history of hypertension. The conclusions implicate all added sugars containing fructose, not any one in particular.
It is also worth noting this study was presented at a conference and has not been published nor peer reviewed to date.

Robyn Flipse, MS, RD of NJ 5:43PM October 30, 2009

As a registered dietitian and consultant to the food and beverage industry who has been monitoring the research on the effects of sweeteners on health and body weight for many years, this story captured my attention. What I quickly discovered after reading this and the original press release from which it was taken is that the headlines and data don’t agree.
It seems journalists and their editors cannot understand the simple fact that common table sugar and high fructose corn syrup are made of the exact same two ingredients – glucose and fructose. They have the same sweetening power, the same number of calories and are metabolized in the same way. Once consumed and digested, the body cannot tell which one was eaten.
This study looked at the available fructose from all sources of added sugar found in soft drinks, bakery products, candy, jam, syrup, dried fruits, and such, not just those sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Those who consumed an average of 74 mg of fructose a day from all of those sources had an increased likelihood of elevated blood pressure. No information was provided in the study to indicate what type of sweetener, whether sugar, high fructose corn syrup or honey, was used in the foods and beverages the subjects consumed.
The results indicate that high fructose intake - which is distinctly different from high fructose corn syrup - in the form of added sugars is significantly and independently associated with higher blood pressure levels in the US adult population with no previous history of hypertension. The conclusions implicate all added sugars containing fructose, not any one in particular.
It is also worth noting this study was presented at a conference and has not been published nor peer reviewed to date.

Robyn Flipse, MS, RD of NJ 5:39PM October 30, 2009

As a registered dietitian and consultant to the food and beverage industry who has been monitoring the research on the effects of sweeteners on health and body weight for many years, this story captured my attention. What I quickly discovered after reading this and the original press release from which it was taken is that the headlines and data don’t agree.
It seems journalists and their editors cannot understand the simple fact that common table sugar and high fructose corn syrup are made of the exact same two ingredients – glucose and fructose. They have the same sweetening power, the same number of calories and are metabolized in the same way. Once consumed and digested, the body cannot tell which one was eaten.
This study looked at the available fructose from all sources of added sugar found in soft drinks, bakery products, candy, jam, syrup, dried fruits, and such, not just those sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Those who consumed an average of 74 mg of fructose a day from all of those sources had an increased likelihood of elevated blood pressure. No information was provided in the study to indicate what type of sweetener, whether sugar, high fructose corn syrup or honey, was used in the foods and beverages the subjects consumed.
The results indicate that high fructose intake - which is distinctly different from high fructose corn syrup - in the form of added sugars is significantly and independently associated with higher blood pressure levels in the US adult population with no previous history of hypertension. The conclusions implicate all added sugars containing fructose, not any one in particular.
It is also worth noting this study was presented at a conference and has not been published nor peer reviewed to date.

Robyn Flipse, MS, RD of NJ 5:37PM October 30, 2009