Sugar does not cause diabetes but it complicates the life of someone who is already diabetic! Consuming lots of sugar to a person with normal levels of insulin does not technically result in that person or animal becoming diabetic but will tend to promote symptoms of diabetes due to too much sugar in the body.

Salt on the other hand can lead to hypertension if taken in excess for a long time.

Thanks Borden but the question is sugar and hypertension vs salt and diabetes

There are three main sugars of concern, galactose, fructose and glucose. Starch is broken down to glucose. Lactose, from milk, is broken down to glucose and galactose. Sucrose, from sugar cane, sugar beet and fruit is broken down to glucose and fructose. Sugars attach to proteins. This process is called glycosylation or glycation. Glycated low density lipoprotein (LDL) is more easily oxidised than pure LDL. Oxidised LDL is deposited in the artery wall, making the lumen smaller, and thus the blood pressure inside it higher. Galactose is a very avid glycator. Fructose is fairly avid. Glucose is the least avid glycator of the three. Hence milk is the most correlated food with coronary heart disease, followed by sugar. Fructose is converted by the liver into triglycerides, leading to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Sodium and potassium compete with each other. Vegetables are a good source of potassium. The more vegetables you eat, the more salt you may consume, but make sure it is plain salt, like sea salt, not contaminated by additives, which may themselves cause problems.

Minerals and vitamins relevant to healthy blood sugar are chromium, potassium, zinc, magnesium, manganese, vanadium, vitamin B3 and the B vitamin biotin.

High blood glucose causes a rise in leptin, which tells you to stop eating. Galactose and fructose do not have this effect. Glycation causes serious complications in diabetes. So galactose and fructose need to be limited, rather than starch. Avoid milk and sugar, eat fish, and have plenty of vegetables. Eat home prepared food, and then you know what you are consuming.

Low potassium is linked to high insulin and high glucose. So we need a high potassium to sodium level. Salt intake should depend on the climate and occupation. Those losing much sodium through sweat do need to take salt.

Well said Margaret

how about signaling from NaKATPase and oxidative stress. Can this case diabetes?

If insulin receptors are blunted and the cells grow resistant to insulin, magnesium can no longer be stored, so it passes out of the body through urination. When magnesium levels are too low, blood vessels are unable to fully relax, and this constriction raises blood pressure.Salt can raise the risk of developing diabetes by raising blood pressure. People who already have diabetes can also benefit from eating less salt because keeping blood pressure in the healthy range helps to reduce the risk of the long term complications of diabetes.

In a review article published online in 2015 in the journal Open Heart, researchers culled interventional and epidemiological studies and came up with an eye-opening conclusion: Excessive amounts of sugar, not salt, may be more strongly and directly linked to hypertension and the risk of developing cardiovascular problems.

Table sugar—also called sucrose—is made up of two monosaccharides: glucose and fructose. Excessive amounts of the latter seem to have the most detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system, including increased blood pressure and blood pressure variability (which increases the risk of stroke), along with increased heart rate and demand for oxygen by the heart. It may also contribute to inflammation, insulin resistance, and other metabolic problems.

Beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, which contains more fructose than glucose, have been shown in some research to produce higher blood pressure readings in healthy people than those sweetened with sucrose, while both drinks similarly increased heart rates.

In terms of sugar’s effects on blood fats and cholesterol, increased intake may independently increase triglyceride, total cholesterol, and “bad” LDL cholesterol levels. It may also reduce levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.