Lower Blood Pressure: How Much Is Too Much Salt?

Everyone knows there’s a connection between too much salt and high blood pressure, but the question is how much is too much salt? And the answer is, it depends.

Now that’s not much help, but it turns out to be true. We need sodium in our bodies to help control fluid levels, conduct electrical pulses to our nerves, and assist in the contraction and relaxation of our muscles, such as the heart. But it only takes about 500 milligrams of sodium a day to perform those tasks, and even less for people who are “sodium sensitive.” Oddly enough, the FDA recommends a daily amount of almost 5 times the amount we really need, or 2,400 milligrams.

So what’s the problem? What is the connection between salt and high blood pressure?

As mentioned, we need salt. The kidneys are the organs that control the level of sodium in your body. If levels are low, the kidneys retain the use of the mineral. If you have too much sodium, your kidneys excrete the excess through your urine. The problem occurs when there is so much sodium that the kidneys cannot process it and the sodium builds up in the bloodstream.

Sodium, like salt, attracts fluids. and that’s exactly what happens in your blood vessels. Excess sodium attracts water which in turn increases the volume of blood in the vessels. This excess “blood baggage” puts more pressure on the heart, which has to pump harder to keep blood flowing.

So not only do you have your heart increasing pressure by beating harder, you also have more blood volume trying to move through the same “pipeline” that is your cardiovascular system and also raising your blood pressure. It’s really no surprise that the first medication a doctor prescribes for high blood pressure is a diuretic.

So how can you reduce your salt intake? Cutting back on table salt or even using salt in cooking won’t really have much of an impact, as it only makes up 11% of the salt we consume. Over 70% of the salt we get comes from processed foods and foods eaten out. Salt is used as a preservative in canned and frozen foods and restaurants stock it up because it’s an inexpensive flavor enhancer.

The real answer to reducing salt is double. Eat fresh foods when you can eliminate the salt used in processed foods. Second, read the labels of the foods that are processed. Sodium can come in a variety of different names, including MSG, baking powder, baking soda, and disodium phosphate. Add up the amounts and stay below 2,400 milligrams and try to go much lower if you can. The lower your salt intake, the lower your blood pressure.

If you’re over 50 or an African-American man, following a low-salt diet is even more important, since the impact of excess salt is greater on these classes of people than most. Swap salt for spices to flavor your food. Salt is an acquired taste and if you can wean yourself off little by little, you won’t miss it. If you replace it with spices, you will open up a whole new world of eating pleasure.