Salt and Hypertension – Is Salt Reduction Worth the Effort

Hypertension is just another word for high blood pressure which affects billions of people around the globe. High blood pressure can be a leading cause of severe cardiovascular diseases, stroke, heart attack, and heart failure. Hypertension is gaining popularity off-late and is an important medical and public condition. With the advancement in age, hypertension becomes even more prominent. 50% of the people between 60-69 years of age, and 75% of the people over 70 years of age deal with hypertension. Hypertension essentially means that under high blood pressure, your heart works harder in order to pump blood throughout the body which can contribute to stroke and heart failure. The ideal blood pressure level is under 120/80 mmHg. Anything beyond this number is considered as high blood pressure which puts your body at risk of several heart diseases and kidney failure.

Salt and hypertension- How it is connected?

A dietary restriction like salt reduction is considered as one of the effective ways to treat hypertension. Eating excessive salt hampers the function of kidneys to remove fluid that further formulates into your system and then enhance your blood pressure levels. Sodium or salt affects people in different ways. Some people won’t get any results of salt on their blood pressure levels while those with salt sensitivity can easily wreak havoc on their functions of kidneys even with the slightest increase in the intake of sodium.

Salt reduction

As per the health experts, “Dietary salt intake reduction can delay or prevent the incidence of antihypertensive therapy, can facilitate blood pressure reduction in hypertensive patients receiving medical therapy, and may represent a simple cost-saving mediator to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.”

Diet plays a significant role in controlling high blood pressure. Doctors have acknowledged the severity of hypertension and curated a dietary approach to manage hypertension. DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) is recommended for people who are suffering from hypertension. The aim is to treat or prevent hypertension and reduce the risk of heart diseases. This diet majorly focuses on fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and whole grains. DASH promotes the reduction of red meat, salt and sugary food items from the diet. The salt intake in this diet is very low making it beneficial for people with hypertension.

Recommendations for salt reduction

• As per WHO, the daily recommended amount of salt for adults is less than 5 g (just under a teaspoon) per day.
• As per WHO, the daily recommended amount of salt for children is 1000 milligrams per day.
• As per WHO, the daily recommended amount of salt for people aged 9 to 50 is 1500 mg per day.
• As per WHO, salt should be iodized or “fortified” with iodine and should be consumed in limits to ensure healthy development instead of any health complications.

Effective tips to reduce the consumption of salt

• Add in more natural seasonings
• Ditch packaged products
• Read food labels before buying any food
• Use Onion
• Choose whole foods over processed foods
• Switch from fast foods to healthier options

Over to You

Limiting the salt intake will lead to a better life as it assists in balancing the high blood pressure levels, losing weight and saving you from heart diseases. You’ll see many people going through the problem of high blood pressure and in most of the cases is because of the food they eat containing lots of salt. Make sure to consume the salt within limits to avoid the risk of health complications.