Fructose (fruit sugar) raises the risk of high blood pressure
A 2009 study by researchers in Denver (presented at the 42nd Congress of the American Society of Nephrology) found that fructose has a significant effect on blood pressure.
Dr. Jalal's team found that people who ate and drank more than 74 g of fructose per day had a significantly higher risk of high blood pressure. A diet with more than 74 g of fructose per day resulted in a 28 percent higher risk of having a blood pressure of 135/85 mmHg, a 36 percent higher risk of having a blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg, and an 87 percent higher risk of having a blood pressure of 160/100 mmHg.
Sugar and fructose work very differently in the body. The main difference is that fructose does not trigger insulin production which is why fruit sugar was once used to sweeten diet products for people with diabetes. Since then, however, many harmful effects of fructose have become known. Unlike glucose, it does not suppress appetite. Excessive fructose consumption also fuels the disease-causing features of the metabolic syndrome. It promotes weight gain, and it can negatively affect blood lipid levels and uric acid, which in turn makes the development of high blood pressure more likely. Researchers have also found effects on the heart.
This mainly refers to added fructose in foods. Fructose that occurs naturally in fruit and vegetables is considered unproblematic.
This is also supported by a 2023 meta-analysis of several studies on the effect of fructose on blood pressure. The analysis of various small studies likewise found an increase in blood pressure after consuming fructose-containing drinks. The researchers point out that the connection should be studied in more detail in further research.
This mainly refers to added fructose in foods. Fructose that occurs naturally in fruit and vegetables is considered unproblematic.
This is also supported by a 2023 meta-analysis of several studies on the effect of fructose on blood pressure. The analysis of various small studies likewise found an increase in blood pressure after consuming fructose-containing drinks. The researchers point out that the connection should be studied in more detail in further research.
People with high blood pressure (hypertension) should therefore avoid added fructose in particular. Soft drinks in particular, but also many processed foods, are often sweetened with fructose today.
Sources:
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029211521.html
- https://www.scinexx.de/news/medizin/fruktose-kann-dem-herzen-schaden/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/nature14508
- https://www.aerzteblatt.de/blog/61223/Hypertonie-Fruktose-vielleicht-schaedlicher-als-Salz
- https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/2/219
This article is from Tensana – the leading app since 2011, helping hundreds of thousands of people monitor their blood pressure every day.
Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 01/2026).
Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as outpatient care, and has headed the specialist editorial team at Tensana since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as an emergency medical technician, first responder, and in various areas of therapy and emergency care, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably verified information.
Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as outpatient care, and has headed the specialist editorial team at Tensana since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as an emergency medical technician, first responder, and in various areas of therapy and emergency care, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably verified information.
