When we think of heart attacks, the first culprits that come to mind are stress, lack of exercise, smoking, and high cholesterol. But what if the real danger is sitting quietly on your plate, disguised as everyday favourites—biscuits, chips, sodas, sweets, pickles, and sauces? In today’s fast-paced world, excessive sugar and salt consumption has become one of the most overlooked triggers of cardiovascular disease, significantly increasing the risk of heart attacks, especially in urban populations.
The modern diet is loaded with processed and packaged foods that are rich in added sugars and hidden sodium. These ingredients, when consumed beyond recommended limits, can silently damage the cardiovascular system over time. The result? High blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, inflammation, and eventually, blocked arteries and heart failure.
The sweet saboteur: How sugar affects your heartWhile sugar is often blamed for weight gain and diabetes, its role in heart disease is just as serious. Excessive sugar—especially from added sugars found in soft drinks, candies, desserts, breakfast cereals, and baked goods—leads to elevated blood sugar and insulin levels. This causes insulin resistance, prompting the body to produce more insulin, which in turn increases triglycerides, lowers HDL (good) cholesterol, and raises blood pressure.
Over time, these changes trigger chronic inflammation, one of the key drivers of atherosclerosis, a condition where plaque builds up inside the arteries. This hardening and narrowing of the arteries restricts blood flow, increasing the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes.
Moreover, high sugar intake contributes to fatty liver, a condition now commonly seen even in non-alcoholic individuals. This disrupts the body’s metabolic balance and further elevates cardiovascular risk.
Global dietary guidelines suggest that added sugars should account for no more than 10% of daily calorie intake. However, studies show that many people, especially in urban India, far exceed this limit—often unknowingly—due to the growing dependence on ready-to-eat, processed foods.