Blood Pressure:  Sugar Worse than Salt

I came across this article from Medpage Today which is a daily news site for Medical Professionals and I was intrigued.

When I read Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes his premise is that blaming heart disease, high cholesterol, and obesity on fat is wrong.  It’s SUGAR that is the real culprit so to see this article really piqued my interest.

Nutrition guidelines advise people to eat no more than 2.4g (2400 mg) of sodium per day. People with hypertension are advised to eat 1500 mg of sodium per day.

James K DiNicolantonio, Pharm D of Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute has this to say about sodium restriction guidelines:

The greatest con in preventive nutrition in human history.

He goes on to explain:

The studies tell us that 3 to 4  grams of sodium (daily) is the level associated with the lowest risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, so why do the guidelines all tell us to consume less than 2.4 g (2400 mg) of sodium a day

Sodium = Processed Foods

In my opinion, I  think the focus on sodium should be redirected to processed foods. That is where the majority of sodium and sugar is found in the American diet.  People think avoiding sodium means limiting the salt shaker at the table, but that’s not nearly as big of a contributor to sodium as processed foods are.  I just looked at the label for a popular brand of soup that is marketed as healthy and this soup contains 690 mg of sodium!  That is nearly 30% of the recommended amount but is this really the issue?

Those who exercise may need more sodium if they heavily sweat during exercise.

The authors of the study agree

Because processed foods are the principal source of dietary sodium, if these foods became less salty, there could be a compensatory increase in their consumption to obtain that physiology demands.

Is the issue sugars and not sodium?

According to the authors of this study, the issue may be sugar and not sodium.

Compelling evidence from basic science population studies, and clinical trial has linked sugars to the development of hypertension.  Moreover, evidence suggests that sugar in general may contribute to overall cardiovascular risk through a variety of mechanisms.

There you have it.

Live Better Nutrition Principles

My 5 Principles for Living Better are:

  • Fresh is Best: Avoid Processed Foods
  • Minimize Excess Sugar: Look for labels with 10g of sugar or less
  • Stay Hydrated.  Drink Plenty of Water
  • Eat Breakfast with Higher Amount of Protein, Fat, and carbs
  • Regulate Alcohol intake

I believe that we can avoid the excess sugar and sodium by limiting processed foods. This goes for those “foods” with a “health halo” of organic, all natural, etc.  Those words mean nothing and upon further examination of the label you see that those foods are filled with just as much sugar and sodium as “junk foods”.

One of the best examples of this is to look at many of the protein bars that are marketed to the gym crowd.  Some have just as much calories, fat, and sugar as a candy bar and the candy bar tastes better!

The easiest way to cut down on sodium and excess sugar intake is to avoid processed foods!