Why sugar, not salt, might be making your blood pressure rise
The wrong white crystals: not salt but sugar as aetiological in hypertension and cardiometabolic disease
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Sodium intake between 3–6g/day is linked to the lowest risk of death and heart events—lower or higher intake increases risk.
For decades, health guidelines told people to eat less than 2.3g of sodium daily. This suggests that very low sodium might be harmful, not helpful.
Practical Takeaways
Cut out sugary drinks—swap soda, juice, and sweetened coffee for water, unsweetened tea, or sparkling water.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Sodium intake between 3–6g/day is linked to the lowest risk of death and heart events—lower or higher intake increases risk.
For decades, health guidelines told people to eat less than 2.3g of sodium daily. This suggests that very low sodium might be harmful, not helpful.
Practical Takeaways
Cut out sugary drinks—swap soda, juice, and sweetened coffee for water, unsweetened tea, or sparkling water.
Publication
Journal
Open Heart
Year
2014
Authors
J. DiNicolantonio, Sean C. Lucan
Related Content
Claims (5)
Eating a lot of added sugars, especially fructose, might raise your blood pressure over time—studies show an average increase of about 7 points for the top number and 6 points for the bottom number after eating lots of sugar for at least two months.
If you get a quarter or more of your daily calories from added sugars—like soda, candy, and pastries—you’re about three times more likely to die from heart disease than someone who gets less than 10% of their calories from sugar.
If healthy people eat a lot of fructose (like in sugary drinks and snacks) for just two weeks, their blood pressure goes up, their insulin and fat levels rise, and they’re twice as likely to show signs of metabolic syndrome.
Eating too much sugar over a long time can mess up how your body uses insulin, which then causes high blood pressure, bad cholesterol levels, and raises your chance of heart disease.
If you eat more than 74 grams of fructose a day—like from sugary drinks or sweets—you’re much more likely to have high blood pressure, especially readings like 160/100 or higher.