Reduce Salt - Lower Blood Pressure

Reducing dietary salt intake lowers blood pressure, according to a new review of research.

But the evidence is not clear whether salt restriction has an effect on cardiovascular disease, scientists say.

The results are not a call not to eat salt at all, warns expert Rod Taylor, a professor of health research at the University of Exeter in the UK.

Scientists have not found strong evidence that reducing salt intake reduces the risk of heart problems and short life expectancy , as there is not enough data to draw definite conclusions. In addition, the subjects may have reduced salt intake, but then returned to old habits, explains Rod Taylor.

In the short term, up to two years after study participants were advised to reduce their consumption of too salty foods, scientists found a declining number of deaths . However, in the long run, for about 10 years, this benefit has disappeared , probably because people do not continue to follow the same behavior, the researchers said.

Advising people to be careful with eating salty foods alone is not enough, explains Rod Taylor. A two-pronged approach is needed, including better food labeling .

Rod Taylor's team studied 7 studies involving nearly 6,500 participants. Some of them have normal blood pressure and others have high blood pressure. One study looked at the process of salt restriction in people with heart failure.

There was a slight decrease in blood pressure due to a decrease in sodium intake. Systolic blood pressure drops slightly by about 1 to 4 points, the researchers said.

They conclude, however, that there is insufficient evidence as to whether reduced salt use has a protective effect against cardiovascular events.

A recent European study, which is not included in the review of British scientists, found that people who consume large amounts of salt do not increase the risk of high blood pressure and are less at risk of death from cardiovascular disease. .

Most studies find that salt intake above the norm is harmful to health and scientists advise to limit its consumption, but the new study takes a completely different view on the subject.

The condition of the participants was monitored for nearly a decade, during which time researchers determined how many of them were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, as well as how much they had high blood pressure.

The probability of blood vessel problems is the same in participants from all three groups. Experts find that in volunteers who consume the least amount of salt, the rate of cardiovascular disease is the highest, and in people who consume the most salt, it is the lowest. The findings were made on the basis of data from the 8 years of observation.

About 1/4 of the volunteers in all three groups, whose blood pressure was initially normal, subsequently began to rise. Scientists have found that blood pressure levels rise as salt intake increases over the years, but the increase is very small and could not affect health.

However, there is evidence that high sodium intake is associated with a risk of diabetes and chronic kidney disease .

According to statistics from the American Heart Association, Americans take more than twice the recommended maximum dose of salt for adults, which is 5-6 g per day .

A review of the studies was published in the American Journal of Hypertension .