Sodium is almost everywhere? Research says that prevention and treatment of high blood pressure and low salt is the key

A study by Northwestern University shows that if you eat more salt daily, even if you eat more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains at the same time, it is still associated with a higher risk of hypertension.

The researchers surveyed 4,680 middle-aged people in Japan, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States to learn about their diet, measure blood pressure, height and weight, collect urine samples, and analyze the relationship between dozens of nutrients and blood pressure. The results showed that regardless of gender, ethnicity or socioeconomic status, or whether the body weight was normal or obese, higher levels of sodium in the urine were associated with higher mean blood pressure.

The chemical composition of the edible salt is sodium chloride.

In a paper published in the American Journal of Hypertension, the researchers wrote that except for potassium, other nutrients cannot weaken this association. Moreover, potassium only works in people with low levels of sodium in the urine, helping to weaken the association between salt and blood pressure.

The main author of the paper, Jeremiah Stammler, told Reuters that this means that excessive salt intake and its adverse effects on blood pressure cannot be resolved by taking more nutrients. “The solution is to reduce salt exposure. Into."

Chronic hypertension is associated with risk of heart disease, stroke and other diseases. The World Health Organization recommends that each person consume less than 2 grams of sodium per day, which is equivalent to about 1 teaspoon of salt. Sodium is not only found in edible salt, but also in bread, milk, eggs, meat and many processed foods. It can be said that it is almost everywhere.

Previous studies have shown that the “Daily Route to Stop Hypertension” (DASH) diet combined with low salt is comparable to drugs in early hypertensive patients or patients with mild hypertension. The DASH diet advocates the intake of more vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, etc., and recommends that people limit the intake of saturated fats and sugars.