People who drink sugary fizzy drinks tend to have raised levels of blood pressure, researchers warned last night.
Every daily drink of a fizzy drink increases systolic blood pressure – the higher blood pressure measurement – by 1.6 mmHg, according to a new analysis.
The findings do not apply to diet drinks but do apply to fruit drinks with added sugar.
Researchers studied the drinking habits of more than 2,600 middle-aged people in the USA and UK.
Experts said the problem seemed to be that sugary drinks provide calories without other nutrients – such as potassium, magnesium and calcium.
Researcher Dr Ian Brown, of Imperial College, London, said: "People who drink a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages appear to have less healthy diets.
"One possible mechanism for sugar-sweetened beverages and fructose increasing blood pressure levels is a resultant increase in the level of uric acid in the blood that may in turn lower the nitric oxide required to keep the blood vessels dilated."
He added: "It’s one piece of the evidence in a jigsaw puzzle that needs to be completed. In the meantime, people who want to drink sugar-sweetened beverages should do so only in moderation."
The findings were reported last night in the journal Hypertension.
British experts said more research is needed into explaining if there is a direct link between sugary drinks and blood pressure.
But Victoria Taylor, of the British Heart Foundation, said people who consume sugary drinks also risk putting on weight.
She said: "This research doesn’t show us why there might be a link between sugary drinks and high blood pressure so there needs to be some more time spent answering that question.
"We may know then how much is too much when it comes to these types of drinks.
"Aside from blood pressure, we do know sugary drinks will add extra calories to our diets and excess calories can lead to obesity, a major risk factor for heart disease. If you’re watching your waistline, opt for sugar-free choices like water as your main drink, instead of sugary beverages."
Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association February 28 2011
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