Drinking canned drinks can raise blood pressure. Professor Hong Yunzhe of the School of Medicine at Seoul National University in South Korea has found that the coating used to pack soft drinks contains the chemical bisphenol A, which may increase the risk of hypertension and heart disease. Bisphenol A is widely used as a packaging lining for cans and plastic bottles. Previous studies have shown that the chemical can permeate food and beverages. Sixty adults aged 60 and older were asked to drink soymilk in glass bottles or cans and to measure BPA levels in their urine, blood pressure and heart rate two hours after drinking soymilk in different containers. Soy milk is chosen because its components do not cause blood pressure to rise.

 

The results showed that the concentration of BPA in urine increased by 1600% and the heart rate also changed in the participants who drank the beverage in cans compared with those who drank the beverage in glass bottles. Drinking two cans of can-pop drinks a day raises blood pressure by five millimeter mercury pillars, which can increase the risk of serious problems in people with high blood pressure or heart disease, researchers said. Researchers suggest that consumers should try to eat fresh food or bottled food, reduce the use of canned food.