Understand the benefits of reduced salt intake

Chefs love salt for its irreplaceable flavor but doctors often speak ill of it. The truth is that salt is an important element of health and you can't live without it, but too much can raise your risk of serious medical problems. We'll go over the benefits of cutting back.

• Sodium raises blood pressure in some people and not others, but it's hard to tell who's who. Because of this, experts advise that everyone eat less salt, especially if they've been diagnosed with high blood pressure.
• The offending ingredient is sodium, which makes up a little more than one-third of every salt crystal. The average adult requires about 500 milligrams of sodium per day, but you could probably get by on as little as 115 milligrams. However, most people consume more than 3,000 milligrams of sodium daily.

• Most experts agree that eating salty foods causes blood pressure to rise in people who are "salt sensitive." By some estimates, half of all people who have high blood pressure are salt sensitive.
• Unfortunately, there's no way to test for salt sensitivity. That's why physicians hedge their bets and instruct patients with high blood pressure to consume less sodium. The recommendation is usually to limit yourself to 1,500 milligrams per day.
• A review of 17 long-term studies found that hypertension patients who make modest reductions in their salt intake lower their systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) by five points and their diastolic pressure (the bottom number) by three points.

• According to the review's authors, if all people with high blood pressure ate fewer salty foods, deaths from heart attacks and strokes would drop by 9 and 14 percent respectively.
• What if you don't have high blood pressure? Some scientists argue that telling everyone to cut back on sodium makes no sense since many people can eat large amounts without any effect on their blood pressure. However, studies show that about one in four people who don't have hypertension are salt sensitive, and they stand a greater risk of developing high blood pressure as they age. because of this, it's a good idea to cut back on sodium even if you don't currently have high blood pressure.
• Most doctors agree that people without high blood pressure should limit their sodium intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams per day (which is about the amount in one teaspoon of salt).

• Eating fewer salty foods has an even greater impact when you eat more foods that are high in potassium, such as fruits and vegetables.
• Potassium actually promotes healthy blood pressure levels. In one major study, hypertension patients who cut back on salt and ate more produce lowered their systolic blood pressure by 11.5 points. That's an even better result than some hypertension drugs!

Whether you're salt sensitive or not, it's probably a good idea to pay more attention to your sodium intake. Being more conservative with your salt means a healthier you in the future.