How high sugar intake causes hypertension

Excessive sugar intake not only leads to diabetes and obesity but has also been identified as a major contributor to high blood pressure, alongside excess salt consumption and unhealthy diets, which health and nutrition experts have consistentlywarned against.

Experts describe sugar as one of the greatest threats to cardiovascular health, warning that people who indulge in high sugar intake are at increased risk of inflammation, cancer, diabetes and fatty liver disease.

They said excessive consumption of sugar contributes significantly to the burden of non-communicable diseases in the country and can weaken the immune system, making the body more vulnerable to infections.

The Nigerian Hypertension Society says about 30 per cent of the Nigerian adult population currently suffers from hypertension.

Health and nutrition professionals therefore advised Nigerians to reduce their sugar intake and avoid beverages with added sugars, such as fizzy drinks, carbonated beverages, energy drinks, flavoured milk and sugar-sweetened juices.

The World Health Organisation has also affirmed that consuming excess sugar negatively impacts health, stressing that high sugar intake increases unhealthy weight gain, raises the risk of heart disease and hypertension, and damages teeth, leading to dental caries.

The global health body noted that simple or free sugars compromise the nutritional quality of diets by providing significant energy without essential nutrients.

According to the WHO, even fruit juices can contain very high levels of sugar and should be consumed in moderation.

Speaking with PUNCH Healthwise, a past president of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Prof. Wasiu Afolabi, said many people are unaware that excessive sugar intake can significantly harm the body and affect blood pressure.

The Professor of Community Nutrition at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, explained that sugar plays a role alongside salt in the body’s electrolyte balance, particularly glucose, and that excessive consumption can influence blood pressure levels.

“Because sugar is involved together with salt as part of the body’s electrolytes, excessive intake can affect blood pressure,” he said.

He further explained that excess sugar is converted into storage forms in the body. “Sugar is a carbohydrate and when consumed in excess, it is converted into glycogen, and some of it is further converted into fat, leading to weight gain,” he noted.

According to him, weight gain can result in obesity, which is a major risk factor for diabetes mellitus and hypertension.