You may have heard - or will hear - something about a study published yesterday in the journal Circulation that alleged that if you cut back on sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, your blood pressure will decrease.  A bit misleading to say the least.  So we thought we'd share some facts with you today.

This study looked at a little more than 800 adults, all of which were obese and already had borderline high or high blood pressure.  What did the study show?  It definitely didn't show that there is anything unique about drinking sugar-sweetened beverages that leads to increased blood pressure, or that there is something unique about reducing their consumption that leads to reduced blood pressure.  In fact, the authors acknowledge that their study doesn't establish cause and effect, but rather warrants "future studies."

So what should consumers know based on the findings of this study?  That losing weight may help lower your blood pressure. In fact, this particular study was actually an analysis of another study designed to look at weight loss on blood pressure - not consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

And when it comes to keeping your blood pressure in check, what can you do?  According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NHLBI), when it comes to preventing high blood pressure, important factors are maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active and following a healthy eating plan. And we know that losing weight by decreasing "calories in" and increasing "calories out" has the greatest effect on blood pressure.  In fact, NHLBI states that blood pressure rises as body weight increases, and that "losing even 10 pounds can lower blood pressure - and weight loss has the greatest effect for those who are overweight and already have hypertension."

But if you're not a scientist or a researcher and you have borderline high or high blood pressure, how do you know who or what to listen to?  What is the best advice?  From our perspective:  seek the professional advice of a physician or other health professional to learn how best to manage hypertension, as well as how to maintain a healthy body weight through balanced diet and exercise.