How does salt affect blood pressure?

Highlights:

• How does salt affect blood pressure?  
• Risks associated with consuming (high amounts) of salt 
• Foods rich in salt   
• What you can do to reduce your risk   

Salt is an essential component of our daily diet, but consuming too much of it can have serious health consequences, especially on blood pressure, as it raises it.

The main reason for this is the sodium contained in salt, which plays a key role in regulating the water balance in the body.

How does salt intake affect blood pressure?

When consumed in large amounts, sodium causes more water to be drawn into the blood vessels. This in turn puts additional pressure on them, raising blood pressure.

Over time, blood vessels damaged by high pressure lose elasticity and begin to become covered with plaque, which further strains the heart and raises the risk of cardiovascular disease.

That's why understanding the relationship between salt and how it raises blood pressure is key to maintaining good health and preventing serious health complications.

What are the risks of excessive salt intake?

Excessive salt intake not only raises blood pressure but can also lead to a number of serious health problems, including:

• Damage to blood vessels in the brain: High blood pressure damages artery walls, which increases the risk of atherosclerosis, stroke and heart attack and can contribute to the development of dementia.
• Fluid retention: Fluid retention aggravates the condition of people with pre-existing heart disease.
• Excessive pressure on the kidneys: The kidneys are also put under greater strain in processing excess sodium, which can lead to chronic kidney disease and other health complications.
• Sexual dysfunction: With excessive salt consumption, which raises blood pressure, this in turn disrupts normal blood flow to important organs, including the genitals.
• Loss of bone density: High sodium intake leads to increased urinary calcium excretion, which can weaken bones over time and increase the risk of osteoporosis. This particularly affects older people whose bones are already susceptible to mineral loss.
• Visual impairment: When blood pressure rises due to excessive salt consumption, small blood vessels in the eyes can become damaged. This leads to conditions such as hypertensive retinopathy, which reduces vision and in extreme cases can lead to permanent vision loss if left unchecked.

For people with hypertension, the daily dose of sodium should be limited to 1800 mg to prevent further complications.

Which foods are sources of the most salt? 

Many of the foods we all eat on a daily basis contain salt without even realising it. The main sources of salt are: 

• processed foods - convenience foods, packaged foods, snacks, fast food and even Chinese food. Products such as chips, sausages, cheeses, ready meals and even bread can contain significant amounts of sodium;
• Canned foods - these are also often processed with high levels of salt to extend their shelf life;
• fizzy drinks - even some drinks, such as fizzy soft drinks, can also contain unexpectedly high amounts of sodium, further increasing daily salt intake without this being obvious to the consumer, raising blood pressure accordingly.

These products often contain about 8 grams of salt, and their sodium levels exceed the recommended daily intake of 2,300 mg or 6 grams of salt per day.

How to reduce salt consumption?

Controlling salt intake is important to maintain normal blood pressure and reduce the risk of it rising continuously, as well as heart disease.

One of the most effective ways to reduce salt consumption is by avoiding processed and canned foods and focusing on fresh produce instead. When cooking at home, you can use a variety of spices to add flavor to dishes without the need to add table salt.

It's important to know that a meal at a fast food restaurant may contain salt that exceeds the recommended daily intake and, therefore, raises blood pressure.

In addition, it is necessary to read product labels and choose those with a lower sodium content. To calculate the amount of salt in food, you need to multiply the sodium content by 2.5.

If you consume a large amount of salt, one of the best ways to reduce it is gradually and with patience. Day by day, try to include more and more salt-free foods in your diet. This approach will allow you to get used to the change without feeling a drastic difference in taste. As a result, you will begin to enjoy the natural and delicate taste of the products, which will improve both your taste sensations and your health.

Keep in mind that when switching to a low-salt diet, it takes about 2-3 weeks to get used to the new taste.

Switching to a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grain products can also help reduce salt intake and maintain healthy blood pressure.