Archive for July 2nd, 2010

Sugar, not just salt, linked to high blood pressure

(Health.com) — Eating too much sodium can push your blood pressure into the danger zone. Now, researchers are reporting that eating too many sweets–or drinking too much soda–may have a similar effect.

People who consume a diet high in fructose, a type of sugar and a key ingredient in high-fructose corn syrup, are more likely to have high blood pressure (hypertension), according to a new study.

Drinking 2.5 cans or more of non-diet soda per day–or consuming an equivalent amount of fructose from other foods–increases your risk of hypertension by at least 30 percent, the study found. What’s more, the increased risk appears to be independent of other dietary habits, including sodium, carbohydrate and overall calorie intake.

The study, which appears in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, focused on foods containing high-fructose corn syrup and other added sugars, such as soda, fruit punch, cookies, candy and chocolate. (Although fructose occurs naturally in fruits, the researchers excluded them because they contain other nutrients that are difficult to measure.)
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Athletes’ Interest in Vasodilators for Performance Grows

LONDON – There is growing interest among athletes in the possible use of nitric oxide and associated vasodilators to enhance performance, which could lead to misuse and serious health effects, according to a review out of Kingston University (J Intl Soc Sports Nutr. ePub 29 June 2010. DOI: 10.1186/1550-2783-7-25). The research team conducted a retrospective analysis of anonymous inquiries recorded in the Drug Information Database (DID) between January 2006 and June 2008 (inclusive); a total of 198,023 inquiries were received. While phophodiesterase type-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors, such as Viagra®, were 16th among substance groups, there was another notable increase in the nitric oxide precursor supplement products in the period leading up to the Beijing Olympics.
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