What can excess salt and sugar do to you?

Salt and sugar are insidious. As their consumption has increased during modern times, scientists warn of health risks that accompany their excessive intake. Health authorities recommend that limits be placed on how salt and sugar are to be consumed.

Can salt be bad?

1. Salt contributes to stroke and heart disease

2. High blood pressure is related to high salt intake. Reduced salt consumption leads to decrease in blood pressure. Eating extra salt puts extra pressure on the interior of your arteries. To cope with this, the artery walls become thicker. Too much salt can damage the delicate arteries in and around your brain.

3. Cardiac enlargement (or Left ventricular hypertrophy) is caused by excess salt intake.

4. Excessive sodium combined with insufficient water can cause hypernatremia. This exacerbates renal disease.Using excess salt to induce vomiting in an intoxicated persons may lead to death due to fatal hypernatremia.  

5. Stomach cancer is associated with high levels of sodium. High intake of salty foods leads to increased chances of contracting cancer.

6. The amount of calcium you lose through urination increases with the amount of salt you eat. If you take lot of salt in your diet then calcium can get drained from your bones.

7. Asthma triggers a histamine response. This starts an allergic reaction. There is a link between salt and asthma. This link is stronger in boys.

8. Sodium attracts water. This increases fluid in the body, straining the heart and increasing blood pressure. High sodium intake can increase body weight.

Is sugar any better?

1. Added sugar is high in fructose. It can overload your liver. Fructose is processed only in the liver. Excess sugar consumption puts pressure on the liver.

2. Fructose can lead to fatty liver disease. Fat gets lodged in the liver while fructose gets processed.

3. Sugar increases insulin resistance of the body. It leads to metabolic syndrome, obesity, heart disease and type II diabetes.

4. Insulin checks the uncontrolled growth of cells in the body. Because of increased insulin resistance, cells are no longer controlled by insulin. This might lead to cancer.

5. Sugar promotes fat. It speeds up the secretion of hunger-producing hormones which in turn leads to excessive eating.

6. Sugar is addictive. It causes release of dopamine. People become addictive to sugar.

7. Sugar leads to obesity in children and adults. Children who eat sugar-coated beverages have a 60% chance of becoming obese.

8. Sugar increases cholesterol levels and can give you heart disease. There is strong statistical connection between excessive sugar consumption and heart disease.

Courtesy by Zilaxo Advanced Pain Solution

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