Sugar, Not Salt, May Be at Fault for Hypertension

[Northerner]

A reduction in the consumption of added sugars and, in particular, processed foods may translate into decreased rates of hypertension as well as decreased cardiometabolic disease. In particular, a new review article suggests that sugar, not salt, appears to contribute to the majority of the hypertension risk associated with processed food.

James J. DiNicolantanio, PharmD, from Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, and Sean C. Lucan, MD, MPH, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York, published their review of epidemiological and experimental studies in Open Heart. The authors conclude that high-sugar diets may make a significant contribution to cardiometabolic risk. They also suggest that future dietary guidelines recommend that highly refined processed foods be replaced by natural whole foods.

"It is a little bit frightening that we have been focusing on salt for so long," Richard Krasuski, MD, from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, told Medscape Medical News. Dr Krasuski was not affiliated with the research.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/836445

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[trophywench]

I wonder how he would explain my high BP and low sodium, bearing in mind we still salt the veg, use salted butter but I only ever add salt at table to eggs and chips - neither of which I eat loads of.

Breads processed, and I eat 2 slices of that a day, plus one Weetabix. The meat and veg are both fresh as is the one piece of fruit I usually have - so I'm a bit stumped as to what to cut out !