NutritionDoc

High blood pressure is epidemic. 31 % of Americans have high blood pressure = 65 million adults. More than half of all Americans 60 and older have high blood pressure. An additional 45 million people have "pre-hypertension", a category of blood pressure that lies between what is considered normal and clearly high 120-139/ over 80-89.

Consuming more sodium tends to increase the retention of fluid carried by blood vessels. That increases both blood pressure and the load on the heart. Also, the increase in salt and fluid within the circulatory system causes a narrowing of the blood vessels, which further increases pressure and reduces the flow of blood to the tissues. The damgage done by a lifetime of high blood pressure may not be undone by medication.

High blood pressure may impair a person's thinking ability and even cause dementia. People with high blood pressure are more likely to perform poorly on tersts of learning, memory, and abstract reasoning then those with normal blood pressure. High blood pressure clogs small blood vessels and interferes with blood flow to the brain.

 

Salt can cause health problems not necessarily linked to hypertension.

1. Salt increases the body's excretion of calcium.

2. Because it increases calcium excretion, salt may promote the formation of kidney stones.

3. High salt diets impair lung function and worsen asthma symptoms.

4. Diets high in sodium cause higher rates of infection with Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium that causes stomach ulcers.

5. Salt promotes stomach cancer in lab animals and is associated with higher rates of stomach cancer in Japan.

6. Higher daily consumption of sodium is associated with a 89% increase in stroke mortality and a 44% increase in mortality from coronary heart disease.

 

Keep your daily intake of sodium at 1500 mg.

 

 READ THE NUTRITION FACTS LABEL ON ALL YOUR PURCHASES AT THE SUPERMARKET.

 

Choose wisely . . . live well.