Is Salt Raising Your Blood Pressure?

You can have your cake and eat it too. Well, you can lower your blood pressure and have your salt too. That is what recent research is telling us about Sodium’s role in managing blood pressure. Hypertension, it turns out, it is not caused why too much salt. Neither is it lowered by simply cutting salt out of your diet. So how it is that table salt (Sodium) is still getting such a bad rap and being linked to high blood pressure? The real culprit it turns out is not salt but how your body manages sodium and its proportion to the amount of potassium, calcium and magnesium in your body.

Story and Facts About Blood Pressure

Scientists have discovered that deficiency of potassium; calcium and magnesium have a much greater impact on blood pressure than the mineral salt. These other minerals are so important in controlling blood pressure that when they are out of balance with each other, they can make salt more of a threat to healthy blood pressure.

The fact is that only about 10 percent of the population is considered ‘salt sensitive’. It is this relatively small group that has to watch their salt intake for a variety of regions, including its impact on blood pressure.

There are some east ways to make sure all of the important minerals in your body are in balance. These includes:

1. Eating a well-balanced diet with a variety of foods. This will ensure that you are getting a wide range of nutrients and not just one or two key elements.
2. Making sure you get enough calcium (2000mg/day). Calcium is essential to bone density, but in relationship to blood pressure, it is believed that low calcium levels can actually cause a high blood pressure. Calcium is a natural diuretic, so when salt is consumed, even larger quantities, having enough calcium signals the kidneys to get rid of the excess sodium. Also, calcium prevents a certain hormone that raises blood pressure from being released and doing its damage.
3. Getting plenty of potassium. Studies have shown that diets high in potassium and lower in sodium prevent many diseases and keep blood pressure lower. On the other hand, when there is much more sodium then potassium, blood pressure goes up. Balance the two, and you can make great strides in controlling hypertension. Here are some food suggestion for getting enough of these essential minerals:

Calcium – Aside from dairy products, which can be high in fat and hard on the digestive system, broccoli, spinach, and salmon are good sources.

Magnesium – Foods such as whole grains, nuts, and black beans will help you get the  beneficial 400-800mg daily of magnesium.

Potassium– Bananas, Potatoes, Orange juice and cantaloupe all provide potassium. Potassium is the most substantiated mineral in controlling blood pressure. When even good food choices leave you feeling you are lacking in important minerals, the supplement can pick up the slack.

Whether though food choices or supplements, getting enough minerals into your diet is necessary to counteract the impact of sodium in the battle with high blood pressure. You can get more health tips or discuss your health solutions at Gupta Homoeo Clinic, Jaipur.

Is Salt Raising Your Blood Pressure?