High Fructose Corn Syrup Sweetened Soft Drink Consumption Increases Vascular Resistance in the Kidneys at Rest and during Sympathetic Activation.

We first tested the hypothesis that consuming a high fructose corn syrup sweetened soft drink (HFCS) augments kidney vasoconstriction to sympathetic stimulation compared to water (Water, Study 1). In a second study, we examined the mechanisms underlying these observations (Study 2). In Study 1, thirteen healthy adults completed a cold pressor test (CPT), a sympathoexcitatory maneuver, before (Pre-Consumption) and 30 min after drinking 500 mL of decarbonated HFCS or Water (Post-Consumption). In Study 2, venous blood samples were obtained in twelve healthy adults before and 30 min following consumption of 500 mL Water, or soft drinks matched for caffeine content and taste, that were either artificially-sweetened (Diet), sucrose-sweetened (Sucrose), or sweetened with HFCS. In both Studies, vascular resistance was calculated as mean arterial pressure divided by blood velocity, which was measured via Doppler ultrasound in the renal and segmental arteries. In Study 1, HFCS increased vascular resistance in the segmental artery at rest (by 0.5±0.6 mmHg/cm/s, P=0.01) and during the CPT (average ∆ 0.5±1.0 mmHg/cm/s, main effect: P=0.05). In Study 2, segmental artery vascular resistance increased following HFCS (by 0.8±0.7 mmHg/cm/s, P=0.02), but not in the other trials. Increases in serum uric acid were greater with HFCS (0.3±0.4 mg/dL, P≤0.04) compared to Water and Diet, and serum copeptin increased with HFCS (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.