Salt & Heart Disease

One of the most common ingredients in our food might contribute to shortening our life span by increasing our risk of heart disease. The ingredient is salt.

Sodium

• Definitive evidence has linked heart disease and salt. Common health problems associated with too much salt intake include high blood pressure (hypertension). The American Heart Association recommends a diet of less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, but certain groups of people (blacks and middle-age people suffering from hypertension) should only consume 1,500 mg of sodium a day, according to the American Heart Association.

Heart Disease

• If people reduced their daily intake of salt, they could lower their chances of getting cardiovascular disease by 25 percent, according to the National Institutes of Health. A study, titled Trials of Hypertension Prevention, Phases I and II, found that participants ranging from ages 30 to 54 lowered their risk of heart disease significantly after reducing sodium intake. Also, these participants slashed their risk of heart disease by 25 percent up to 15 years later. Overall death rates were lowered by 20 percent. All of the participants had this in common: They were taught how to live a lifestyle of reduced sodium intake, which involved greater attention to food selection and preparation.

Hypertension

• There was a second trial to follow up on the results of the previous trial. A total of 1,191 participants were involved. The goal of the test was to study the correlation of weight loss and reduced salt intake during a four- to five-year span. The average age of control study participants was 30 to 54 years of age. Similar lifestyle changes were taught and implemented, like the first case study and the results displayed a positive blood pressure effect from a reduction of daily sodium. All people involved began the experiment with high to normal blood pressure. With high blood pressure being a major cause of heart attacks and a host of other medical problems, this change effectively lowered their rate of heart disease.

Awareness

• Reducing sodium intake to improve heart health involves being aware of what you are eating. Foods either contain natural or added sodium. Read food labels before purchasing. Regular table salt is 40 percent sodium chloride while processed foods contain sodium when their nutritional labels have the terms "soda," "sodium" and "Na" written on them. Avoid unhealthful foods and integrate unsalted food products into a consistent diet, substitute salt for food enhancement to evade going down the road of developing heart disease.

Conclusion

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eating junk and fast foods with high sodium content rather than home-cooked, healthful foods contributes mightly to heath disease. Include vegetables in your meals, cut out fast foods and make a conscious effort to cut down on salt. You and your heart will benefit.