Full Transcript Introduction: Sugar and Blood Pressure 0:00 If you have high blood pressure, what if the real trigger isn't salt? 0:04 What if a thing that's pushing your numbers up is something you're drinking every single day and you don't even realize it? 0:10 Across large population studies, just one extra drink per day, it's linked to a 10% higher risk of developing high pressure. 0:17 And the reason matters because it's also the part you can change. 0:22 Give me 14 days with one simple change and I'll show you how your blood pressure can start to move even if your weight doesn't. 0:29 And don't worry, there's no pseudoscience here. 0:31 There's real trial data. 0:33 behind all of this. 0:34 I'm Dr. 0:34 Columbus Patisse, an interventional cardiologist and a lifestyle advocate. 0:38 In the cath lab, we deal with the consequences of high blood pressure nearly every single day. 0:43 Strokes, heart attack, hearth failure, kidney disease. 0:46 But here's what most people don't realize. 0:49 Blood pressure, it's not just a salt problem. 0:51 It's a kidney problem, a blood vessel problem and a hormone problem in the everyday drink. 0:56 I'm talking about it hits all three. 0:58 Let me show you what this looks like in real life. 1:00 A real clinical scenario from my own clinic. 1:05 who finally got on board with my lifestyle recommendations. 1:08 He started doing a lot of things right, he changed his diet, He cut way back on the salt. 1:13 he started eating a plant-based, dash-style dietary eating pattern.He committed to exercising, and slowly the weight started coming off.
Clinic Case and Hidden Liquid Sugar 1:21 The blood pressure started to decline, but despite all of that, his blood was still running high, leaving him at risk. 1:28 Right as we were about to add the medication,he looked at me and said, Doc, could it be something else? 1:33 Maybe the sweet tea, maybe the soda, Maybe that juice drink I grab for my kids sometimes when I'm thirsty. 1:39 And then I saw it. 1:40 I looked at his labs and his uric acid was elevated. 1:42 and that's where this gets interesting. 1:45 Now let me connect the dots for you. 1:46 That one extra drink per day those studies were talking about, it's added sugar sweetened beverages. 1:52 They are the number one delivery system for added sugars. 1:55 Yes, I'm talking soda, sweet tea, lemonade, those so-called fruit drinks, sports drinks energy drinks. 2:03 And yes, some of the healthy smoothies with the added Sugar hiding in the mix and the yogurt. 2:08 Now here's the one that catches people nearly every single time. 2:11 they visit the coffee shop, talk with their barista, order their vanilla latte, and not recognizing that medium vanilla latte can have around 35 grams 2:21 of sugar. 2:21 That's nearly nine teaspoons in one drink. 2:24 that's donut level sugar, sometimes even more. 2:27 And nobody thinks that they're ordering dessert for breakfast. 2:30 All right, let me break down what's actually happening inside your body. 2:33 I want you to think of blood pressure like the pressure in the garden hose. 2:36 So your kidneys are controlling how much water is in hose, that's the volume. 2:40 Now your blood vessels, aka the Garden Hose, they control how tight the nozzle is. 2:45 This is the resistance. 2:47 In your nervous system, it can tighten those vessels fast, changing the pressures in real time.
How Sugar Raises Blood Pressure 2:52 You have three levers comprised of the Volume, the Resistance, and the Tone. 2:56 Let's walk through each of them. 2:58 The first lever is volume, sugar makes your kidney hold on to salt. 3:02 So when you take a lot of added sugar, especially anything with fructose, your kidneys start pulling more sodium back in. 3:09 What does that mean? 3:10 You hold on to more salt, which results in more water, and now your body is building pressure from the inside. 3:16 Here's the kicker. 3:17 Sugar can turn a totally normal salt intake into a high blood pressure problem. 3:22 Okay, let's move on the lever two. 3:23 This is the resistance. 3:25 Fructose it raises uric acid and stresses your blood vessels. 3:29 Now, most added sugars, they're a mixture of glucose and fructose. 3:33 And frucose is the piece that can raise uric acid. 3:36 So why does that matter? 3:37 Because uic acid, it disrupts the nitric oxide. 3:41 Nitric Oxide is a key that tells your blood vessels to relax. 3:45 Less nitrate oxide means less relaxation. 3:49 It means tighter vessels. 3:52 means higher pressure. 3:53 Now this is the part that most people will miss. 3:55 So the real question is, where is your fruit dose coming from? 3:58 I can be honest. 3:59 When I'm interviewing patients in my clinic, most will say it's not candy. 4:03 It's on desserts. 4:04 And we find out it the drinks, the soda, sweet tea, and sweet coffee. 4:09 What's yours? 4:10 Drop it in the comments. 4:11 Important nuance before anyone out there says, but what about the fruit? 4:16 Whole fruit is not the problem here. 4:18 We're talking about high dose, fast delivery fructose, the kind that's only found in drinks and processed foods. 4:24 When frucose comes packaged with fiber, potassium, polyphenols, like it does in a piece of fruit, your body handles it completely differently. 4:32 All right, let's move on to the third lever. 4:34 Tone. 4:35 Sugar drives insulin and insulin, it steps on that gas pedal. 4:39 The more sugar means more added insulin. 4:42 More insulin cranks up your sympathetic nervous system that fight or flight. 4:47 That means tighter vessels. 4:48 It means faster heart rate and ultimately higher blood pressure. 4:52 So here's the big picture. 4:53 Sugar, its hitting your blood pressures three different ways. 4:57 Holding onto salt, tightening your vessels and revving up you nervous systems all at once.
Trial Data and Risk Reduction 5:03 Now think about it like this. 5:04 Your body was designed for a world where sugar is rare and seasonal. 5:08 A little honey protected by the bees. 5:10 Some fruit high up. 5:12 That was it. 5:13 How about today? 5:14 Sugar is cheap. 5:15 It's constant. 5:16 it's actually engineered for rapid intake and consumption. 5:19 Now the fastest delivery system? 5:21 sugar sweetened beverages. 5:23 So here's how I think of it Drinking sugar is like pouring fuel straight into the engine with no filter. 5:28 Whole fruit is fuel packaged with breaks. 5:31 So you have your fiber, your potassium, you're antioxidants. 5:34 If you are having one or more sugary drinks a day, Your blood pressure is going to trend upward. 5:39 It's just a matter of time. 5:40 Now let's talk numbers, because the data here is encouraging. 5:43 In the premier trial, which is one of the largest lifestyle intervention studies on blood pressure, cutting just one sugary drink per day was linked to 5:51 about a two point drop in the top number, systolic, and a one point in drop the bottom number diastolic. 5:57 even after accounting for weight change. 5:59 Now, I know what you're thinking out there. 6:00 You hear two points and you saying, doc, that's nothing. 6:03 But check this out. 6:04 Blood pressure reductions are cumulative. 6:06 We don't need one magic fix. 6:08 It needs several small changes, small habits that stack. 6:12 you cut one liquid sugar. 6:14 That's a couple of points. 6:16 Your cut two, three, four liquid sugars. 6:18 your adding to those points, you improve your sleep. 6:21 that a few more. 6:22 You add potassium rich foods, fruits and vegetables and whole grains, a few more. 6:27 You lose even a modest amount of weight, A few More. 6:31 Now you're looking at 8, 10, maybe 12 points in total. 6:35 That's the difference between needing a second medication and not. 6:38 that's a difference, between a high risk category and a manageable one. 6:42 And it starts with one drink. 6:45 A journey of a thousand miles begins with that first drink And if you're thinking that still doesn't sound like much, hold on. 6:51 As few as a five point drop in the top number, it's linked to about a 10% reduction in major cardiovascular events, a 13% percent reduction is stroke, 7:01 13%, reduction and heart failure. 7:03 Now, if get that down by 10 points, which is exactly where lifestyle stacking can take you. 7:08 And the numbers get even more serious and substantial. 7:11 A 20% reduction in major cardiovascular events, a 27% percent reduction and stroke, 28% in heart failure. 7:19 It's all about reducing one's risk. 7:21 That's not a rounding error. 7:23 Those are lives. 7:24 That's someone not having a stroke.
14-Day Challenge and Closing Advice 7:27 Someone not ending up in my cath lab. 7:29 Now remember that patient I mentioned earlier? 7:31 We actually did a three month trial. 7:33 He cut the added sugar, especially the liquid sugar. 7:37 Not fruit, not whole foods. 7:38 Just the add sugar and over those ensuing three months, his blood pressure came down between five and ten points. 7:45 No magic, no gimmick. 7:47 just removing one additional major driver and letting the body do what it already knows how to do. 7:53 That's the compounding power of a small change done consistently. 7:57 Now, if you're already on blood pressure medication, I need you to listen to me closely and do this part carefully. 8:03 Monitor your blood pleasure closely. 8:05 Check your readings morning and evening for the first two to four weeks. 8:08 If you start feeling lightheaded or your numbers trend lower than usual, have a conversation with your healthcare provider about adjusting your medication. 8:16 Lifestyle wins still need smart supervision. 8:20 Are you ready for your 14 day challenge? 8:22 Here it is. 8:22 The first thing up, no sugar sweetened beverages for 14 days. 8:26 Second thing, it's all about what you replace. 8:28 You have to fill it back in with something. 8:30 Replace it with water, unsweetened tea, or sparkling water with citrus or berries. 8:35 Third thing fruit is allowed. 8:37 It's not the enemy. 8:38 We're targeting added sugar, not whole foods. 8:41 Fourth thing track your blood pressure. 8:43 morning and evening and watch what happens. 8:45 Watch the magic. 8:46 You ready to take this 14 day challenge with me? 8:48 Type let's go in the comments and come back in two weeks maybe three maybe four maybe six and let me know what changed. 8:55 Remember salt matters absolutely it does but added sugar especially liquid sugar can raise your blood pressure through multiple pathways. 9:04 Cutting it can move your numbers. 9:06 It can improve how your vessels function, and it reduce your overall risk. 9:10 Blood pressure often responds within two to eight weeks, sometimes sooner. 9:15 Remember, if you wanna go fast, go alone. 9:17 If you want to go far, together. 9:19 Let's go together building healthier hearts, stronger communities. 9:22 So like it, share it. 9:23 Send it save a life and lower blood. 9:26 See you next time.
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