ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

The Truth About Salt And Hypertension

Updated on June 25, 2008

The Truth About Salt and Hypertension

Salt or sodium chloride plays a vital role in maintaining the body’s blood volume and in controlling the movement of fluids in and out of the cells. Sodium is the main component of the body’s extracellular fluids and it helps carry nutrients to the cells. Sodium assists in regulating other body functions such as blood pressure and fluid volume. It also works on the lining of blood vessels to keep the pressure balance normal.

Sodium is vital for transmitting nerve impulses and metabolizing proteins and carbohydrates to produce energy. The chloride part of the salt molecule helps in maintaining the normal acid balance of the body and also necessary for some enzymes in order to do their work.

Doctors have been suspicious of the effects of too much salt for a long time. In 2500 BC, physicians in China warned their patients that using too much salt would cause the pulse to “harden.” Dr. Jeffrey Cutler, director of the Clinical Applications and Prevention Program of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute , points out that the higher the salt intake, the higher the prevalence of hypertension.

A study in 1995 reveals that the chimpanzees will develop high blood pressure when their diet is too high in salt. In a 1993 study, baby rats were fed diets naturally high in salt. Within two-weeks of taking the high salt-diet, they had demonstrated higher blood pressure. Some people respond to excess salt by developing hypertension. For people with any degree of hypertension, be it mild or severe- salt intake must be reduced.

Cutting back on salt for those suffering from severe hypertension will not cure high blood pressure or be an adequate total treatment. But for most people with mild hypertension or for those who simply want to avoid any blood pressure problems, a reduction in their salt intake will result in lower blood pressure readings. Even those who need medication to treat high blood pressure will respond better to drugs when they follow low-salt diet.

How Much Is Enough But Not Too Much

The National Research Council maintains that a safe and adequate daily sodium intake is about 1,100 to 3,300 milligrams for adults.

High Salt diet : 4,000 to 6,000 mg/day (2 to 3 teaspoons)

Normal Salt diet : 1,500 to 3,000 mg/day (3/4 to 1 ½ teaspoons)

Low Salt diet : 500 to 1,000 mg/day (1/4 to ½ teaspoon )

Extremely Low : 200 to 500 mg/day (just a pinch)

After reading and studying many reports, Dr. Robert Rowan believes that the best estimate is somewhere below 500 mg of sodium a day or about a quarter of a teaspoon. Salt quickly adds up. But there is good news. Fresh meat, poultry, fruits and vegetables are low in sodium.

SOURCE :

Control High Blood Pressure Without Drugs

By : Dr. Robert Rowan

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)