Most people consume salt and sugar daily, without even thinking about their dangers or benefits. These ingredients in the composition of dishes enhance their palatability and increase appetite. Scientists have even proven that salt and sugar can cause addiction, like a drug. That is why under-salted and savory dishes and products seem so tasteless to us. Sweet tooth and strive to put in a cup with tea a couple more spoons of sugar. But lovers of salty especially lean on canned vegetables in the winter. That which is more harmful - salt or sugar, we will tell in our article. Be sure to indicate the allowable daily allowance for the use of these products and provide feedback from scientists on this issue.
Sugar and its effects on the body
The scientific name of this familiar product sounds like sucrose. Almost 100% sugar consists of carbohydrates. When it enters the human digestive tract, sucrose is broken down into glucose and fructose. After entering the bloodstream, these valuable nutrients saturate the body with the necessary energy, improve brain activity and blood circulation. All this indicates the benefits of this product for humans.
However, with excessive consumption of sugar entails a number of negative consequences:
- promotes increased acidity in the oral cavity and the multiplication of pathogens, which are the main cause of caries formation;
- negatively affects the work of the heart, nervous and digestive systems, the state of blood vessels;
- leads to the development of diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis.
The calorie content of this product is 399 kcal. Moreover, all these are fast-digesting carbohydrates, which, when uncontrolled, contribute to rapid weight gain. And this, in turn, is the main cause of obesity.
Is salt dangerous for the human body?
At first glance, this product is less harmful than sugar. The composition of salt immediately includes two vital elements - sodium and chlorine. Their content in food is minimal. However, they play an important role in maintaining a normal mineral balance in the human body. Sodium is part of the blood plasma, and chlorine provides the formation of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, without which digestion is impossible.
But even after that, the question of which is more harmful - salt or sugar cannot be answered unequivocally. It all depends on the amount of food consumed. When salt is abused in the kidneys and tissues of our body, fluid begins to linger. As a result of this, edema appears, urolithiasis develops, pressure rises. In addition, there is a deposition of salts in the body. To avoid this, you need to control the amount of consumed products during the day.
Permissible salt and sugar intake
It should be noted that for adults and children there are different restrictions on the use of these products. But, regardless of this, doctors recommend striving to reduce the acceptable values. Then you don’t have to figure out what is more harmful - sugar or salt. In a small amount, these ingredients in the composition of the dishes will bring exceptional benefits to the body.
As for the norms of salt intake, it is considered safe for adults to consume 4-5 g per day, which is about half a teaspoon, but not more than 8 g. Children from 1.5 to 3 years old will need 2 g of salt per day. But until the age of nine months, babies are advised not to give salt at all, even in a minimal amount.
The norm of sugar per day for adults is 60 g. This is the maximum acceptable value. It should be remembered that both salt and sugar are found in some foods in their natural form. Children under three years of age should preferably have their sugar ingested from fresh fruits and juices.
What is more harmful - salt or sugar: reviews of scientists
Studies in which people from 6 to 60 years old participated were conducted by scientists from the United States. At the end, it turned out that the average American consumes about a teaspoon of salt per day, which is the norm. Sahara, the inhabitants of this country eat much more. And it is he who can be extremely dangerous for the human body. Therefore, the question of what is more harmful - salt or sugar, American scientists gives an exact answer. According to them, sugar is much more dangerous for people than salt.
This is explained by the fact that excessive consumption of sweet foods causes a false sense of hunger, as well as dependence, which can be compared with the action of cocaine, morphine and nicotine. This, in turn, ends with overeating and severe obesity.
How to refuse sugar in the diet?
To avoid health problems, it is recommended to control the amount of salt and sugar eaten. Why are these products harmful? Because they lead to disturbances in the normal functioning of the body. But if most people can limit their salt intake, things are more complicated with sugar. Nutritionists and doctors recommend first of all to refuse the use of carbonated sugary drinks, try to include in your diet more fresh fruits instead of sweets, chocolate bars and ice cream, add stevia to tea and coffee instead of regular granulated sugar or refined sugar.
What is more harmful - salt or sugar: reviews of people
Most people agree with the results of research by American scientists. They believe that if we compare salt and sugar (which is the more harmful of them), then the choice will definitely be in favor of the second product. Many people really consume sweets in unlimited quantities, which is why weight gain occurs with all the ensuing consequences for the body.