Lowering your blood pressure without the need for a drug is another reason for you (and me) to cut down on the amount of sugary-sweet soft drinks we consume every day, in addition to reducing your pancreatic cancer risks (and mine).
Researchers reviewed data on some 800 patients (ages 25-79) who had been diagnosed with prehypertension (blood pressures from 120/80-139/89) to stage 1 hypertension (140/90-159/99) and participated in an 18-month study to better control their high blood pressure by making lifestyle changes very similar to ones we've discussed before in this space.
At the beginning of the study, patients drank about 10.5 ounces of non-diet soft drinks per day, equivalent to about one can of the sweet stuff. But by the end, daily soft drink consumption was cut in half, coinciding with sharp drops in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Even though weight loss was partly responsible for these drops, researchers found the connection between sugary soft drinks (ranging from high fructose corn syrup laden carbonated drinks and fruit drinks) and blood pressure to be statistically relevant. No kidding, considering the average American drinks 28 ounces of the sweet stuff every day.
Circulation May 24, 2010
Food Navigator-USA.com May 25, 2010
ScienceDaily May 25, 2010