There’s already an established link between sugar and metabolic syndrome, various cardiovascular problems that includes insulin resistance, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high triglycerides (blood fats), and excess weight, especially in the form of belly fat. In fact, sugar-sweetened beverages were linked with a 10 percent increase in blood pressure (also called hypertension) in the review, which pooled results from more than 900,000 participants in the other studies of added sugar all showed some protective associations with hypertension, the researchers found. Sugary foods are high in calories, but often have few other nutrients, and can lead to a quick energy rush followed by a slump afterwards. This may cause to feel sluggish and low in energy and can lead to cravings for more sugary foods, so that you eat too much and put on weight which is another factor that puts you at risk of high blood pressure. Sugar is also an important cause of tooth decay.
Here are the 4 ways Diabetes.co.uk says sugar is related to high blood pressure.
#1: Hyperinsulinemia
It is thought that when the body produces too much insulin and leptin in response to a higher-carb diet, it causes blood pressure to increase. Hyperinsulinemia raises blood pressure, in part, by decreasing sodium and water excretion in the kidneys, and directly vasoconstricting blood vessels.
Hyperinsulinemia may play a direct role in atherogenesis and, by extension, atherosclerosis through the interaction of receptors on the blood vessel wall. Hyperinsulinemia is also known to alter lipid metabolism unfavorably, which promotes inflammation and oxidative stress.
#2: Insulin resistance
As insulin levels rise, insulin resistance eventually develops. If insulin receptors are blunted and the cells grow resistant to insulin, magnesium can no longer be stored, so it passes out of the body through urination. When magnesium levels are too low, blood vessels are unable to fully relax, and this constriction raises blood pressure.
#3: Nitric oxide
Fructose sugar, specifically, elevates uric acid, which drives up blood pressure by inhibiting the nitric oxide (NO) in blood vessels. NO is regarded as the most important vasodilator and helps blood vessels maintain their elasticity. NO suppression leads to increases in blood pressure.
Fructose sugar, specifically, elevates uric acid, which drives up blood pressure
#4: Advanced glycation
Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are the direct result of exposure to sugars. This is one of the major pathways involved in the development and progression of different diabetes-related complications. They are believed to play a role in vascular complications by triggering processes that cause vascular stiffening and the narrowing of blood vessels, contributing to atherosclerosis.
For those reasons, many argue that reducing sugar may be a more meaningful way of reducing blood pressure than reducing salt. And because too little sodium in the diet has been linked to adverse health effects, it’s all the more important to keep a moderate, rather than a very low, salt intake.