CHICAGO—Men who consume high amounts of fructose sugar have increased blood pressure and risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association’s 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference 2009. Researchers also found that allopurinol, a drug for gout, blocked the effect.
As reported by Bloomberg, half of the men in the study were given allopurinol; the other half were given a placebo. After two weeks, those in the fructose-placebo group had an increase of 6 mm Hg in their systolic blood pressure and a 3-mm Hg rise in their diastolic blood pressure. The men with elevated blood pressure saw their levels return to normal within two months of the study’s end when they went back to their usual diets, the researchers said. Those getting the high-fructose diets who also were given allopurinol didn’t show significant increases in their systolic or diastolic blood pressures, the study showed.
