Salt vs. Sugar: What is worse for your heart?

Both salt and sugar raise cardiovascular risks but in different ways. Nutrition experts explain their impact on blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart disease—and why balance matters. (Image: Pexels)

Both salt and sugar are usually the key diet offenders when it comes to heart health. Both are staples of our diets, both work to elevate the taste and both, when had in excess, carry significant cardiovascular risk. But which is more harmful? Salt or Sugar. The answer is not straight forward as It may seem that salt is always preferred over sugar or vice versa as both salt and sugar have their own specific requirements in the final glucose for your body.

Salt is famous for its direct association with increased blood pressure, the number one cause of heart disease and stroke globally. In contrast, sugar, which promotes weight gain, diabetes, and also bad cholesterol levels with no warning, silently pushes us towards cardiovascular complications. We live increasingly hectic lifestyles now which has made it easier than ever for us to unconsciously seek food products rich in salt and sugar since most of our meals are packaged or processed. Despite health experts saying moderation is key there are many who consistently go over recommended limits each day without realising it.

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It is important to recognize how each of them affect heart health to understand what to eat. Ms Kalpana Gupta, Clinical Nutritionist, Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital, Saket talks about what salt and sugar individually do to our body and why overall balance is the solution instead of being in the competition of which is worse for the heart.

Salt (Sodium) and Heart Health

Sodium (salt) helps maintain the balance of fluids in the body. Nevertheless, too much sodium has been well correlated with hypertension, a top risk factor of heart disease and stroke. The average daily salt intake in India is around 9 grams (about 1.8 teaspoons), which is almost double the recommendation of the World Health Organization of 5 grams (about one teaspoon) per day.

It is not just salty snacks that have high-sodium content; hidden sodium is present in pickles, papads, ketchups, processed breads, sauces, and even so-called healthy instant soups. High sodium levels over time will cause the arteries to harden and thicken, making the heart pump harder to pump blood. If left untreated, this may eventually cause the heart to enlarge, and could result in heart failure. One of the easiest and most effective ways to manage blood pressure and cardiovascular risk is to cut salt.

Sugar Can Be A Silent Assassin On The Heart

While salt may spike blood pressure, sugar would not do that immediately, but causes bad impact to the heart in the long run. Getting too much sugar, mainly when consuming desserts, sweetened beverages, and moved snacks, can add to insulin opposition, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver. This results in high triglycerides, which tend to lead to coronary artery disease.

The WHO suggests that added sugar be around 25g (6 teaspoons) per day for adults. However, with the advent of modern packaging and flavored drinks, the average diet far exceeds this sum. Too much sugar interrupts the metabolism and causes chronic inflammation, which damages the heart and blood vessels even more.

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Which Is Worse—Salt or Sugar?

Salt does not help the heart, nor does sugar. Salt generates pressure in the vessels immediately, and sugar provides metabolic diseases, after an entire life long, that is how you damage the heart. Instead of arguing over the greater evil, the operative word is to reduce.

A great way to cut down salt and sugar from your meal is to read nutrition labels, stop eating processed foods and cook at home. An ideal diet including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats is always a best bet in prevention of heart disease. At the end of the day, the best weapons in the war against heart disease are moderation and awareness.

Disclaimer: This article, including health and fitness advice, only provides generic information. Don’t treat it as a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist for specific health diagnosis.