Sugar intake and risk of hypertension: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort and cross-sectional studies.

Yang Zhao, Yifei Feng, Yunhong Zeng, Wencheng Di, Xinping Luo, Xiaojing Wu, Ruiyun Guan, Lidan Xu, Xingjin Yang, Yang Li, Yuying Wu, Xiaoyan Wu, Yanyan Zhang, Xi Li, Pei Qin, Fulan Hu, Dongsheng Hu, Honghui Li, Ming Zhang

Journal: Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 2024;64(26):9483-9494

PMID: 37218681

Abstract

Several epidemiological studies have investigated the association between sugar intake, the levels of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and the risk of hypertension, but findings have been inconsistent. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies to examine the associations between sugar intake, hypertension risk, and BP levels. Articles published up to February 2, 2021 were sourced through PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science. Pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using a fixed- or random-effects model. Restricted cubic splines were used to evaluate dose-response associations. Overall, 35 studies were included in the present meta-analysis (23 for hypertension and 12 for BP). Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) were positively associated with hypertension risk: 1.26 (95% CI, 1.15-1.37) and 1.10 (1.07-1.13) per 250-g/day increment, respectively. For SBP, only SSBs were significant with a pooled β value of 0.24 mmHg (95% CI, 0.12-0.36) per 250 g increase. Fructose, sucrose, and added sugar, however, were shown to be associated with elevated DBP with 0.83 mmHg (0.07-1.59), 1.10 mmHg (0.12-2.08), and 5.15 mmHg (0.09-10.21), respectively. Current evidence supports the harmful effects of sugar intake for hypertension and BP level, especially SSBs, ASBs, and total sugar intake.

Address: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Regional Immunity and Diseases, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.; Center for Health Management, The Affiliated Shenzhen Hospital of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.; Department of Cardiology, The Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.; Department of Cardiology, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.; Department of Pharmacy, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.; Department of Nutrition, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China.; Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.; Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China.; Department of General Practice, The Affiliated Luohu Hospital of Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.; Department of Endocrinology, The Affiliated Luohu Hospital of Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.

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