How salt affects blood pressure and why
Hypertension is one of the most common Health challenges worldwide and is often referred to as a “silent killer” because it increases the risk of severe cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack and stroke, without noticeable symptoms. An essential factor that can contribute to the increase in blood pressure is Nutrition – and especially salt consumption. In this article we shed light on how salt affects blood pressure and why this connection is.
Salt and sodium: the decisive components
Salt, chemically sodium chloride, is an essential mineral that is important for many functions in the body. Sodium, the main mineral in the dining salt, plays a central role in regulating the water balance, muscle and nerve functions as well as acid-base balance. However, too much sodium can increase blood pressure. The reason for this lies in the way sodium acts on the water balance and the blood vessels.
How salt affects blood pressure
- Liquid retention through sodium: Sodium has the property of binding water in the body. When consuming salt -rich foods, the sodium content in the blood increases. The body reacts to it by storing additional water to compensate for the excess sodium. Due to the increased liquid in the bloodstream, the blood volume increases, which can lead to an increase in blood pressure. This increased pressure contains the heart and blood vessels in the long term.
- Narrowing of vascular narrowing: Studies have shown that a high sodium level in the blood can narrow the blood vessels. This leads to a lower blood circulation and higher resistance in the arteries, which in turn increases blood pressure. The walls of the blood vessels can lose to elasticity, which can lead to a long -term arteriosclerosis (vascular calcification).
- Influence on kidney function: The kidneys are responsible for regulating the salt and water balance and therefore play a crucial role in blood pressure control. If too much salt is consumed, the kidneys have to hold back more water to rinse the excess sodium out of the body. A permanent overload of the kidneys due to high salt consumption can lead to limited kidney function, which in turn increases blood pressure because the body can no longer effectively regulate the sodium excretion.
Salt sensitivity: why not everyone reacts immediately to salt
Interestingly, not everyone reacts equally to high salt consumption. While some people are “sensitive to salt” and have significantly increased blood pressure values in a salt -rich diet, others show no significant change. The reasons for this are probably in genetic differences that lead to some people can excrete sodium more effectively than others. Especially older people, people with overweight and African Americans tend to greater salt sensitivity.
The risks of high salt consumption
A permanently high salt consumption and the associated high blood pressure can have significant health consequences. In the long run, high blood pressure damages the heart and blood vessels and increases the risk of:
- Cardiovascular diseases: Due to the higher blood pressure and the resulting stress on the arteries, heart attacks and strokes can lead to.
- Kidney disease: High blood pressure stresses the kidneys, which can lead to kidney failure in the long term.
- Damage: Hyperture can damage the small blood vessels in the eyes and lead to vision loss.
- arteriosclerosis: The narrowing of the vascular by high blood pressure can lead to deposits in the vessels, which can affect the blood supply to important organs.
Recommendations for salt consumption
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting the daily salt supply to less than 5 grams (such as a teaspoon) in order to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and its complications. In Germany, however, average salt consumption is often significantly higher. The main sources for sodium are not the salt shaker on the dining table, but processed foods such as bread, sausage, cheese and ready meals.
Salt & blood pressure: How can you reduce salt consumption?
- Do without processed foods: Since many processed foods contain large amounts of salt, it can be helpful to use fresh, unprocessed foods.
- Cooking without salt: To add the salt only at the end of the cooking or replace with herbs and spices, can naturally increase the taste of the dishes without increasing the sodium content.
- Read labels: When shopping, it is worth checking the nutritional information on processed products and choosing them with a lower sodium content.
- Alternative seasoning: Herbs, lemon juice or garlic can be used as a replacement for salt and improve the taste of the dishes.
The five essential factors that can increase blood pressure are:
- High salt consumption
Sodium in the salt leads to liquid retention in the body, which increases the blood volume and thus increases blood pressure. A salty diet burdens the heart and blood vessels and is a risk factor, especially for salt -sensitive people. - Obesity and obesity
Obesity can increase blood pressure because the heart has to work more to pump blood through the larger body. This can burden the blood vessels and increase the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. - Lack of physical activity
Movement helps to lower blood pressure and strengthen the cardiovascular system. A low -movement lifestyle, on the other hand, can lead to overweight and weaker heart function, which increases blood pressure. - Stress and psychological stress
Stress causes hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol that increase blood pressure at short notice. Chronic stress can contribute to permanently increased blood pressure and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. - Excessive alcohol consumption
High alcohol consumption can increase blood pressure and damage the cardiovascular system in the long term. Alcohol influences the heart rate and vascular function and can increase blood pressure in particular if it is used regularly and in large quantities.
Additional factors: In addition to these five essential factors, genetic predisposition, smoking, a diet with high fat content and certain diseases (e.g. diabetes, kidney disease) can also increase blood pressure.
Conclusion
Salt plays an important role in the Nutritionbut in moderate quantities. High salt consumption can lead to high blood pressure and increase the risk of serious health problems. With a low-salt diet and choosing fresh, unprocessed food, we can better keep our blood pressure under control and our cardiovascularHealth support.