If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure, this is probably the first ingredient that your doctor told you to cut out.
Sadly, this is one ingredient most of us love to consume and hate to take out of our diet.
But the good news is, you don’t have to cut it out!
Why? Because a recent study published in the American Journal of Hypertension shows that blaming this ingredient for high blood pressure is completely unjustified!
The study conducted on 8670 French men and women analyzed the effects of salt consumption on their systolic blood pressure. The results were surprising because salt intake had little or no impact on the blood pressure in the participants.
Even people with high blood pressure can consume moderate amounts of salt provided they also increase potassium in their diets.
Because the interesting fact is, what counts isn’t really the sodium level in your system, but rather the balance between sodium and potassium levels.
So how can you increase your potassium intake? The answer is in fresh fruits and vegetables like spinach, broccoli, bananas and legumes.
Now even more interestingly, the study identified three other factors that commonly get overlooked when it comes to keeping blood pressure under control.
The three major factors that had a strong influence on high blood pressure were age, alcohol consumption and body mass index (BMI).
We have no control over age, but we can definitely avoid or reduce alcohol consumption. The same goes for body weight – regular exercise and a healthy diet will help you lose weight and keep your BMI within acceptable levels.
So every time somebody tells you that you should avoid the saltshaker, tell them that it’s more about a balanced diet and ideal body weight.
great info,its just the balance of sodium,potassium magnesium and other chemicals in teh body fluids that something to do with our blood pressure
Great information. We have been told to avoid salt completely. Now I will take salt and increase banana intake. Will share this information.
Finally they’re stopping the witch-hunt of salt. It’s easy to make a flawed study saying salt is the devil. Since most of the salt intake of Americans comes from highly processed fast and frozen food, loaded with other chemicals, obviously the more you eat of this the worse your blood pressure and other health markers are. This study was however done in France where salt is more in the shaker and shows that this is not the problem.
How can the amount of salt intake balanced bt the quantity of potasium intake from eating banana?
Very good to know! I do use sea salt because it’s less processed and more intact with natural minerals.
Misleading info. There is not enough evidence that salt intake will not cause a raise in BP. Not only proves all doc’s wrong but also FDA regulation also false.
First the decades old research cannot be false just because of some French chicks added salt to their diet & didn’t see a difference in BP. Was it tried on others?
Was there any other diet patterns observed, the ftench indulge in Red Wine- was that ever considered a reason?
& finally, the author accokmowledges this is not to be relied upon & salt should be taken in moderation along with high quantities of Pottassium which is certainly the truth from all old research papers.
This contradicting the above research on French chicks.
Salt or no salt,once you are diagnosed adhere to the basics;regular exercise,dietary and medication
It seems scientists forget basic chemistry.
The salt is displaced because it’s come out of solution.
Because of low magnesium salts.
Likewise Lyme Disease has increased. Because we are not having enough Sodium Chloride.
Because it’s an antiseptic.
This information is really interesting and i am delighted to know that you have to take salt in moderation and balance with potasium