Patients with hypertension are often advised to restrict their salt intake. But can a low-sodium diet work like a drug? Researchers have found that reducing salt intake by a teaspoon daily can be as effective as the use of blood pressure medication.
Hypertension is a condition in which pressure in the arteries is too high (130/80 millimeters of mercury or higher). Around 1 billion people worldwide have hypertension, and it accounts for about half of all heart disease- and stroke-related deaths in the world.
A combination of several factors, including age, lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, tobacco use, obesity and stress, can elevate the risk of developing high blood pressure. High sodium in the diet is a risk factor. The American Heart Association recommends the use of salt below 1,500 milligrams per day.
By lowering salt intake, nearly everyone, including those on medications for hypertension, can reduce their blood pressure, according to the researchers of a new study, published in Jama Network. Participants who cut down on salt by a teaspoon per day showed a decline in systolic blood pressure by about six millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), a result that was comparable to the use of blood pressure drugs.
The findings were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2023 in Philadelphia.
“This is the first study to show that people who are already on blood pressure medication can lower their blood pressure even more by limiting sodium,” said co-principal investigator Norrina Allen, a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “We found that 70-75% of all people, regardless of whether they are already on blood pressure medications or not, are likely to see a reduction in their blood pressure if they lower the sodium in their diet.”
Researchers allocated 213 participants between the ages of 50 and 70 to either a high-sodium diet (2,200 mg per day in addition to their usual diet) or a low-sodium…
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