Study by Indian-American finds reducing salt intake lowered blood pressure in as little as one week

A study led by an IndianAmerican researcher has found that nearly everyone can lower their blood pressure including people on medication by cutting down their sodium intakeReducing salt intake by one teaspoon a day lowers blood pressure the same amount as medication in just one week according to a research by Vanderbilt University Medical Center VUMC Northwestern Medicine and the University of Alabama at BirminghamConducted in middle age to elderly participants in the age group of 50 to 75 the research asked them to reduce their salt intake by about one teaspoon a day compared with their usual dietThe result was a decline in systolic blood pressure by about six millimeters of mercury mm Hg which is comparable to the effect produced by a commonly utilised firstline medication for high blood pressurerdquo said Deepak Gupta associate professor of Medicine at VUMCAmong 213 participants systolic blood pressure was significantly lowered by 7 to 8 mm Hg when they ate the lowsodium diet compared with highsodium diet and by 6 mm Hg compared with their usual dietOverall 72 per cent of participants experienced a lowering of their systolic blood pressure on the lowsodium diet compared to their usual dietThe effect of reduction in dietary sodium on blood pressure lowering was consistent across nearly all individuals including those with normal blood pressure high blood pressure treated blood pressure and untreated blood pressure Gupta saidJust as any physical activity is better than none for most people any sodium reduction from the current usual diet is likely better than none for most people with regards to blood pressure he saidThe research which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 70 75 per cent of all people regardless of whether they are already on blood pressure medications or not were likely to see a reduction in their blood pressure if they lower the sodium in their dietThe total daily sodium intake recommended by the AHA is to be below 1500 milligrams and this study was designed to decrease it even lower than thatHigh blood pressure is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world which can lead to heart failure heart attacks and strokes as it puts extra pressure on your arteries In addition it affects the heartrsquos ability to work effectively and pump bloodThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever