Few things in the world are as refreshing and revitalizing as a cold 7up in the scorching sun.
Yet, with all the health concerns revolving around sodas, fewer consumers are opting for this classic refreshment as evidence shows correlations with numerous cardiovascular diseases.
But, is there anything dubious about 7up?
Or, could 7up possibly be good for something, such as high blood pressure?
Read on to find out more about the composition of 7up and how its ingredients may be correlated with hypertension.
7-Up Soda Pop 7/2014 7Up Pic by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube
What is in 7up?
Essentially, the original flavour consists of 6 basic ingredients (available on the 7up official website):
- Filtered carbonated Water
- High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) *or sugar in some of the variants
- Citric Acid
- Potassium Citrate
- Natural flavours (Lemon and Lime Oil)
- Calcium disodium EDTA
The biggest controversy in fizzy drinks is definitely the High fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
Although it’s cheaper and prominently sweeter than sucrose (regular sugar), HFCS is continually linked to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and an array of other conditions.
Do the ingredients in 7up affect blood pressure?
As a part of rebranding to ‘all-natural’, the company has replaced sodium citrate with potassium citrate to lower down the sodium content.
Higher sodium content in beverages is in direct correlation with high blood pressure.
Moreover, the main sweetener in 7up HFCS is undoubtedly related to obesity and diabetes, which directly influence blood pressure. Adolescents who consume high doses of HFCS are at a much greater risk of suffering from hyperuricemia that in combination with obesity can lead to high blood pressure even at that age.
Unfortunately, one study shows that the problems associated with HFCS are not only limited to obesity and diabetes. Its scope of damage covers metabolic issues like insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia that combined with high-fructose cause diet-induced hypertension.
That said, unlike Coca Cola, Dr. Pepper and other caffeinated drinks, 7up managed to at least eliminate the notorious adverse effects of caffeine on blood pressure and hypertension.
Does 7up lower or increase blood pressure?
Although the composition of 7up may be more favourable for your arteries and heart than other fizzy drinks, we can’t ignore the emerging evidence about chronic soda consumption and its harmful effect on metabolic dysregulation.
New findings on soda intake show that day-to-day consumption of fructose-sweetened beverages increases the risk of hypertension in both adolescents and adults.
On the other hand, studies also indicate that sufficient daily intake of potassium can potentially reverse the effects of sodium sensitivity, thus lowering blood pressure.
Final thoughts – Is 7up good for high blood pressure?
Even if potassium citrate in 7up could contribute to a more regulated daily potassium intake, the amounts of soda needed for boosted potassium would not only lead to fructose overdose but would also cancel its positive effects and eventually lead to a risk of chronic high blood pressure.
If you suffer from hypertension, obesity, heart-related diseases, the safest advice would be to monitor your soda intake, including 7up.
