The impact of switching to a low-salt diet can be seen in just seven days, and the health benefits are significant.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the most common chronic disease condition, and a major cause of premature death worldwide. An estimated 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 years worldwide have hypertension, most (two-thirds) living in low and middle-income countries. An estimated 46% of adults with hypertension are unaware that they have the condition.
For most adults, dietary sodium intake is a major cause for increased blood pressure.
According to a US study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on November 11, reducing daily sodium intake by around 4,000 mg/day significantly lowered systolic blood pressure in more than 70% of adults in as little as one week. The effect was consistent across individuals with normal blood pressure, treated high blood pressure, and untreated high blood pressure.
Researchers measured participants' blood pressure while on their usual diets, then conducted a randomised trial in these same participants to understand how variation in dietary sodium intake may relate to changes in blood pressure.
The study included more than 200 adults, ages 50-75 years. Participants were randomised to either a high-sodium diet with 2,200 mg of sodium added to their usual daily diet, or a low-sodium diet with a total of 500 mg sodium daily for one week. Participants then switched to the opposite diet for one week. Participants' blood pressure was measured over a 24-hour period on the last day of each diet.
These results demonstrate that lowering blood pressure through dietary sodium reduction can be achieved safely and rapidly within one week, and reinforces the importance of reductions in dietary sodium intake.
References
1. Reducing Sodium Intake Significantly Lowered Blood Pressure in as Little as One Week
