Selected food products that may cause increase of blood pressure

Abstract

In this paper a food products with potential hypertensinogenic properties are discussed. Experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated that intake a high salt diet increases plasma sodium concentration, which may lead to increase of blood pressure. This effect is due to adverse effects of sodium on the physical properties and function of vascular endothelium cells. Another group of foods with potential hypertensinogenic properties are energy drinks, which contain among others caffeine, taurine, inositol and a large amount of sugar. Clinical studies have shown that the consumption of large amounts of energy drinks increases blood pressure. Food products containing licorice root extract have hypertensinogenic properties. There is glycyrrhizinic acid in the licorice. Metabolite of this acid — glycyrrhetinic acid — acts similarly to mineralocorticoids. Therefore, ingestion of foods containing licorice raise blood pressure. Avoiding even incidental consumption of products with hypertensinogenic properties discussed in this paper, should be one of the recommendations of non-pharmacological treatment of hypertension.