Eat Less Fructose To Prevent Hypertension!

Dessert is usually a sweet course of dish served at the end of a meal. It includes cake, cookie, gelatin, pastry, ice cream, pie, and candy. Dessert is not only liked by children but also favored by many adults especially females.

Besides dessert, many of our daily diet can also be laden with excessive sugar. For instance, sugary or soda drinks are popular among teenagers and many young adults. Most of these sweetened drinks contained the popular high-fructose corn syrup (sometimes called corn sugar). Fructose can be found naturally in fruit and table sugar and that is why it is also called fruit sugar.

Well, lovers of sugary drinks and sugar-laden foods should pay attention to results of a study conducted by scientists from the United States, who reported that consuming a lot of foods and drinks sweetened with fructose might significantly increase the risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure).

The study was published on July 1, 2010 in the ‘Journal of the American Society of Nephrology’ by researchers from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. They found increased rates of borderline high blood pressure for people who consumed at least 74 grams of fructose a day (about 4 bottles of soda).

American Heart Association (AHA) also warned that having too much sugar of any kind can cause people gain weight and this could in turn lead to diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

While scientists have yet to find out the exact reason why fructose would raise blood pressure, some experts suspected that fructose has the potential to reduce production of nitric oxide within the blood vessels.

Nitric oxide, which is known to relax the vessel, is supposed to lower blood pressure. But fructose reduces the production of nitric oxide and makes it difficult for the vessels to relax and dilate.

Meanwhile, fructose also raises uric acid in the blood that could raise blood pressure. Fructose can signal the kidneys to 'hold onto' more salt, and that can contribute to high blood pressure.

What Types Of Cereals Should Be Banned From Kids?

According to a new analysis by Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, the breakfast cereals meant for children are less healthy than cereals for adults, and worst still, those that are ‘marketed the most aggressively to kids’ have the worst nutritional quality.

Through the study of 161 brands of cereals, the researchers published their report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association indicating that the health claims by the cereal producers were often misleading. For instance, cereals sold as ‘low fat’ or ‘low sugar’ did not have low calories, and those brands sold as ‘whole grain’ though had more fiber, they also had as much salt, sugar, and fat as any other brands and had the same calorie content.

They also noted that children are often encouraged by both the food industry and public health authorities to eat breakfast, especially ready-to-eat cereals.

With an aim to comparing the nutritional quality of cereals targeted for children and those for adults, the researchers screened 161 brands of cereals, 46 percent of which were meant for kids. To be qualified in the study, the particular brand of cereal should have a character on the box, toys or games inside, or the company’s web site listed that brand as a children’s cereal.

The research team found that children’s cereals in fact had more sugar, sodium, carbohydrate and calories per gram than non-children’s cereals, and less protein and fiber, too. Meanwhile on average, more than one-third of the weight of children’s cereals consisted of sugar, comparing to less than one-quarter of the adult cereals.

While 56 percent of the non-children’s cereals met nutrition standards for foods sold in school, only 34 percent of the kid’s cereals did.

The growing number of overweight and obese kids would definitely worry their parents because the extra weight in these kids may just make them the possible candidates for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and many other sicknesses, as they grow older.

The advice from the researchers is that parents hoping to choose healthy cereals for their kids should search for those containing 4 or less grams of sugar per serving (about 1 teaspoon), at least 4 grams of fiber per bowl of cereal. Most importantly, once the parents decide to ban the heavily marketed cereals from their kids should stick to their decision. If they ever give in once, they are going to make their kid nag them even more.

Are There Gender Differences In Metabolizing Fructose?

Fructose is a simple sugar commonly used for sweetening drinks and foods. Short-term high fructose intake among young people is rather common. However, it appears that men and women have their own way of metabolizing high levels of fructose.

For men, such pattern of consumption will cause their blood triglycerides (fats) to increase and insulin resistance to decrease. This will also raise their risk for cardiovascular disease and Type-2 diabetes. On the other hand, women seem to get rid of the excess sugar load in a less harmful way.

In a study to evaluate the relationship between nutrition and metabolic disorders, researchers from Lausanne University School of Biology and Medicine in Switzerland enlisted 8 each of healthy, non-smoking men and women of normal weight and about 23 years of age to participate in 2 different 6-day diets separated by a 4-week wash-out period. The findings of the study were published in “Diabetes Care”

Not participated in sports or exercise, these men and women followed either the 'control' diet or the diet that included a lemon-flavored drink containing 3.5 grams of fructose.

The fructose load used for the study corresponded to several liters of sodas per day, which was considered quite large. 12 fasting metabolic parameters of the participants were tested the day after they completed each diet.

Fructose supplementation caused the men a significant increase in 11 of the 12 factors, including a 5 percent increase in fasting glucose and 71 percent increase in triglyceride levels. However, women had a significant increase in only 4 out of the 12 factors tested, and showed a 4 percent increase in fasting glucose and 16 percent increase in triglyceride levels.

As the current study only involved a very small number of participants, the researchers felt that further studies should be carried out to include a larger population so that gender differences in metabolic pathways could be accurately be identified and confirmed.

Meanwhile, the researchers also wonder if fructose may have effects that are more deleterious in individuals who are at high risk of metabolic disorders.

A Few Words About Sugar!

Sugar is required by our body for our everyday’s activities. Sugar to us is just like petrol to motor vehicles.

Nevertheless, if our intake of sugar is more than what we require, there is tendency for our body to grow fat. Various health problems such as obesity, heart disease, etc. may therefore emerge.

Consuming too much sugar may lead to mineral imbalances and other side effects. One author even names some 150 ways that sugar might harm our body. Some of the examples quoted by her are:

• Suppressing immune system
• Upsetting mineral relationships in the bodies
• Causing hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty in concentrating and crankiness in children
• Producing a significant rise in triglycerides
• Contributing to the reduction in defense against bacterial infections

Although there is still no scientific evidences that directly link between diabetes and sugar, it is unarguable that diabetes itself is about sugar; too much or too little of it can create harmful effect that may lead to death.

Take a look at the sugar content of a few common food items listed in the following table, and you will be surprised!

Salt, Sugar and Alcohol

Salt

Only 2.5g of sodium is required for our body in a day. Being the major component of salt, sodium maintains fluid balance in our body and helps our muscles, including heart muscle to relax. However, excessive sodium intake will cause fluid retention in our body and contribute to high blood pressure.

Sugar

Taking too much sugar means a high calorie intake which Can lead to weight gain. So avoid or cut down soft drinks, dessert such as cream cakes, pastries, and foods with high carbohydrate.

Alcohol
High blood pressure can also be caused by excessive intake of alcohol. You may, however, take a unit of two each day but do keep to a safe level with some alcohol-free days.

2 Simple Principles To Prevent Heart Disease

Using easily-remembered numbers 3-5-7, the following two simple principles can help you prevent heart disease:

3-5-7 Healthy Heart Diet Principles
3 Highs (high in fiber, freshness, plant-based protein);
5 Lows (low in fat, cholesterol, salt, sugar and alcohol); and
70% Full for your diet.

3-5-7 Healthy Heart Exercise Principles
3 kilometers walk (or 5000 steps) per day;
5 times a week; and
Exercise heart rate at less than (170 minus Age) beats per minute. For example, if your age is 40, then your exercise heart rate should not exceed 130 beats per minute.

Stress and smoking can cause heart disease too, so do manage your stress level and stay away from smoking.