High-fructose corn syrup-sweetened soft drink consumption increases vascular resistance in the kidneys at rest and during sympathetic activation.

Abstract

We first tested the hypothesis that consuming a high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)-sweetened soft drink augments kidney vasoconstriction to sympathetic stimulation compared with water (study 1). In a second study, we examined the mechanisms underlying these observations (study 2). In study 1, 13 healthy adults completed a cold pressor test, a sympathoexcitatory maneuver, before (preconsumption) and 30 min after drinking 500 mL of decarbonated HFCS-sweetened soft drink or water (postconsumption). In study 2, venous blood samples were obtained in 12 healthy adults before and 30 min after consumption of 500 mL water or soft drinks matched for caffeine content and taste, which were either artificially sweetened (Diet trial), sucrose-sweetened (Sucrose trial), or sweetened with HFCS (HFCS trial). In both study 1 and study 2, vascular resistance was calculated as mean arterial pressure divided by blood velocity, which was measured via Doppler ultrasound in renal and segmental arteries. In study 1, HFCS consumption increased vascular resistance in the segmental artery at rest (by 0.5 ± 0.6 mmHg·cm-1·s-1, P = 0.01) and during the cold pressor test (average change: 0.5 ± 1.0 mmHg·cm-1·s-1, main effect: P = 0.05). In study 2, segmental artery vascular resistance increased in the HFCS trial (by 0.8 ± 0.7 mmHg·cm-1·s-1, P = 0.02) but not in the other trials. Increases in serum uric acid were greater in the HFCS trial (0.3 ± 0.4 mg/dL, P ≤ 0.04) compared with the Water and Diet trials, and serum copeptin increased in the HFCS trial (by 0.8 ± 1.0 pmol/L, P = 0.06). These findings indicate that HFCS acutely increases vascular resistance in the kidneys, independent of caffeine content and beverage osmolality, which likely occurs via simultaneous elevations in circulating uric acid and vasopressin.