Salt might be a contributing factor, albeit small, but there's an increasing tsunami of research pinning sugar, especially added sugar in the forms of table sugar and high fructose corn syrup, as the primary cause of hypertension, obesity, heart disease, and a huge host of other diseases.
After listening to that and reading some of the linked studies and articles, it seems obvious to me that sugar is orders of magnitude the highest candidate for heart-related disease and obesity. Just my conjecture though, happy to be proven wrong. In the meantime, I'm cutting down heavily on refined sugar and processed carbohydrates. I've never felt better. Same caloric intake, just different sources.
This is a lengthy discussion between a health/fitness expert and Gary Taubes, author of “The Case Against Sugar”: https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/podcast/nutrition-podcasts/...
After listening to that and reading some of the linked studies and articles, it seems obvious to me that sugar is orders of magnitude the highest candidate for heart-related disease and obesity. Just my conjecture though, happy to be proven wrong. In the meantime, I'm cutting down heavily on refined sugar and processed carbohydrates. I've never felt better. Same caloric intake, just different sources.