Is Sugar Worse For You Than Salt?

Could sugar be worse for you than salt? Scientists debate which flavor enhancer is more dangerous to your health, in a recently published paper in the British Medical Journal (BMI).

Findings suggest that dietary guidelines for treating hypertension and subsequent cardiovascular disease should be focused on reducing the amount of sugars consumed by those at an increased risk of heart disease.

"Sugar may be much more meaningfully related to blood pressure than sodium, as suggested by a greater magnitude of effect with dietary manipulation," noted researchers, in a news release. "Compelling evidence from basic science, population studies, and clinical trials implicates sugars, and particularly the monosaccharide fructose, as playing a major role in the development of hypertension (high blood pressure)."

During the study, researchers focused specifically on added fructose, which is oftentimes found in many processed foods and sugary drinks. However, naturally occurring sugars found in whole foods are not a cause for concern. 

"Just as most dietary sodium does not come from the salt shaker, most dietary sugar does not come from the sugar bowl; reducing consumption of added sugars by limiting processed foods containing it, made by corporations, would be a good place to start," the research team added. "The evidence is clear that even moderate doses of added sugar for short durations may cause substantial harm."

Yet not all health officials seemed to agree that limiting salt and sugar would provide the health benefits many were looking for.

"The emphasis on reducing sugar and salt is disingenuous," Francesco Cappuccio, cardiovascular medicine and epidemiology professor at the University of Warwick, told BBC News."Both should be targeted at population level for an effective approach to cardiovascular prevention. The shift in attention from salt to sugar is scientifically unnecessary and unsupported."

Researchers noted that lowering salt consumption under certain levels could be detrimental to health. Furthermore, could reducing salt in processed foods make some individuals more inclined to eat more?

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting the consumption of daily added sugars to 6 teaspoons a day for women at 100 calories and 9 teaspoons a day for men at 150 calories.

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