Sugar is worse than salt for high blood pressure, according to a paper published in the journal Open Heart.
Fructose, specifically, plays a bigger role in the development of heart problems than we might have thought.
However, reducing your salt intake below a certain level can also lead to problems.
Researchers at St Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute report this after lengthy research and review of results from previous studies. But according to many in the scientific community, the research is just unsubstantiated scaremongering.
For example, Prof Francessco Cappuccio, a researcher at the University of Warwick, says that both sugar and salt intake should be set at levels that allow cardiovascular problems to be avoided. But demonising sugar rather than salt is both unnecessary and not yet well proven.
Prof Tom Saunders, a researcher at King’s College London, agrees: reducing salt intake and losing weight lowers blood pressure, but the direct effect of sugar consumption is not yet well established. He says that salt consumption in Britain is lower by default than in America because manufacturers add less salt to food, which has led to a measurable reduction in blood pressure. Sugar is mainly found in sweetened drinks, cakes and cereals, which should be cut back on if daily sugar intake is to be reduced.
The researchers from St Luke’s added that while added fructose is often found in processed foods and sugary drinks, we shouldn’t worry about naturally occurring sugars found in vegetables and fruit.
According to the British National Diet and Nutrition Survey, most adults and children consume more sugar than recommended. The World Health Organization recommends that sugar should be less than 10 per cent of daily energy intake: this means a maximum daily sugar intake of 50g for the average adult, but halving this can lead to significant health benefits.
