Sugar, or glucose, is a carbohydrate that provides energy to the body. It is an important fuel source for your brain, muscles, and other organs in the body. While salt, or sodium chloride, is an essential mineral that the body needs to function properly, helping to maintain fluid balance in the body and is necessary for nerve and muscle function.

Since they are necessary nutrients for our meals in moderation, sugar and salt are not inherently ‘bad’ in and of themselves. Sugar and salt — may look so harmless, so basic and so essential yet the rapid increase of their presence in everything from our daily homemade meals, and canned foods to frozen meals worries medical experts.

Consuming too much sugar or salt can result in health issues like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. As a result, it’s crucial to include them in a balanced diet but to take them in moderation

The Rwanda Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Report of 2015 recognises the clear threat to the health and development of Rwanda by chronic illnesses, and this study reported some results that showed 17.1% of Rwandans in the study were overweight while 2.8% were obese with the highest prevalence in women and in urban areas.

The study also showed around 15.0% of participants had raised blood pressure and this number rose to 40% for those in the 55-64 year age group. Raised blood glucose was uncommon, affecting 3.1% of the population. The findings of this study showed the need for the community to focus on preventive measures like decreasing the consumption of alcohol or smoking, regularly eating fruits or vegetables and generally having a change in behavioural risk factors like inactive or sedentary lives.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors.

According to the World Health Organization, these types of diseases kill about 41 million people globally and the majority of these deaths are in low and middle-income countries. Heart disease accounts for most NCD-related deaths followed by cancers, chronic diseases of the lungs and diabetes. These are all premature deaths that could have been avoided by early detection, screening and treatment.

While it is true that NCDs are often associated with older adults, people of all ages can be affected by these conditions. We are all at risk for these conditions; children, adults and the elderly are all vulnerable to the risk factors contributing to NCDs, whether from unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and exposure to tobacco smoke, or the harmful use of alcohol.

It is important to take preventative measures to reduce the risk of developing NCDs, such as adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise, a balanced diet, and avoiding tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption. Regular medical check-ups can also help detect NCDs early on, allowing for timely treatment and management.

Medical practitioners recommend limiting the use of added sugar to very small quantities. However, your body doesn’t need any carbohydrates from added sugar since you can get sugar from other natural sources.

Current guidelines advise adults to consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium, or about a teaspoon of salt, per day and no more than 1,500 mg daily, or 3/4 teaspoon of salt, if they are 51 or older, or have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

Many Rwandans exceed what they should consume of both substances and part of the reason is that many might not realise how omnipresent sugar and salt are in popular products we consume on a daily basis.

In today’s advancing world, we consume a lot of meals and drinks that are already prepared and these foods might contain high amounts of sugar or salt.

While some foods may be labelled salt or sugar-free, we should still be approached with caution. We also see many people with an unhealthy habit of adding salt to food before tasting it.

A recent study by Tulane University published in the European Heart Journal showed that individuals who always add salt to cooked meals were at a 28% higher risk of premature death than those who rarely add salt.

A higher frequency of adding salt to the table was also associated with a lower life expectancy.

Reducing the intake of sugar and salt is important for maintaining a healthy diet and preventing chronic diseases. The community is encouraged to limit the consumption of sugary drinks such as soda and fruit juices which can be replaced by eating fruit directly and avoiding the consumption of salty foods such as pizzas, canned foods and others.

Dr Vincent Mutabazi is an applied epidemiologist.