Cutting back on sweetened beverages is associated with a considerable reduction in blood pressure levels and consequently the risk of developing various diseases.

Latest figures have revealed that high blood pressure, also known as the “neglected disease,” accounts for one in every six deaths and $73 billion a year in health costs in the US.

According to a study published in Circulation, lowering the consumption of sugary drinks can tackle high blood pressure in overweight individuals. 

Drinking one less soft drink per day is associated with a 1.8 and 1.1 millimeters of mercury drop in systolic and diastolic blood pressure respectively.

“Our findings suggest that reducing sugar-sweetened beverages and sugar consumption may be an important dietary strategy to lower blood pressure and further reduce other blood pressure-related diseases,” said lead researcher Liwei Chen, adding that the less soft drink is consumed per day, the lower would be an individual’s blood pressure levels.

Such a correlation, however, was not seen between blood pressure and diet beverages or caffeine intake, the study found.

Officials in the American Heart Association had preciously pointed out sugar to be responsible for not only the growing number of obese individuals but also diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

PKH/PKH