High Carb Diets Linked to Higher Blood Pressure, A Review of 10 Studies Shows

Reuters reports that diets high in carbohydrates are associated with slightly higher blood pressure than diets that contain high amounts of monounsaturated fats.  So says a recently-completed meta-analysis (in this case, a review of 10 published studies), written up in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  Meena Shah, Ph.D. of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas led the research team.

Dr. Shah and her team reached this conclusion after examining studies in which groups of people were randomly assigned to either a high-carb or high monounsatured fat diet and then switched to the other plan.

Interestingly, Reuters points out, results of one mathematical model the research team used showed that high-carb diets resulted in significantly higher blood pressure than one rich in monounsaturated fat. (Examples of foods high in monounsaturated fats are olive oil, avocados, and peanut butter, according to the American Heart Association.)

Ultimately, Dr. Shah and her group conclude that these findings may not be meaningful enough to justify changing dietary recommendations for people with high blood pressure. Still, this does provide yet another of many reasons for people to at least consider cutting back on those potentially dangerous processed carbs.

From Jennifer Moore for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog