Salt - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

norvegicus · 07-03-2008, 10:57 AM

Hello everyone hope you are all well

I have been having trouble over the last few weeks regarding my blood pressure. A few weeks ago it was measured at 193/110!! which was quite shocking. It thankfully fell over the last couple of weeks to 164/96 which is still high but improving. My question though concerns salt intake. Most people with concerns over high BP think of salt as something that elevates the blood pressure and this is the view I have shared even before I was diagnosed myself. But I have just been reading an article on a website where the doctor advocates drinking a lot of water with a pinch of salt added as a treatment for high blood pressure??!! Can this be right

flowergirl2day · 07-06-2008, 11:59 PM

Hi,

Quote:

the doctor advocates drinking a lot of water with a pinch of salt added as a treatment for high blood pressure??!! Can this be right

Yes and no.

When people eat more salt than the body requires, it is excreted in the urine. If too little sodium is consumed to meet the body's needs, the kidneys conserve it.
Increased salt intake causes more fluid retention in the blood vessels. The increased blood volume makes the heart work harder and faster. This results in higher blood pressure.

There is another way the sodium increases blood pressure - through the action of arterioles. Arterioles normally dilate and constrict. This is what regulates the blood flow and the blood pressure. Salt influences contraction of the arterioles. Resistance is increased. Less blood volume is returned to the heart. The result is higher blood pressure.

Normal daily loss of sodium is about 1000 - 3000milligrams. This amount must be replaced. Sodium is essential to our well-being.
The amount of sodium necessary to replace the sodium lost through sweat and urine amounts to about one teaspoon a day. THIS must be what you were referring to.

flowergirl

aether4 · 07-07-2008, 10:28 AM

I've heard of doing similar for those that are salt and fluid loading - though it was putting a grain of sea salt under the tongue. Supposedly it is retraining or engaging the hypothalamus to send signals to the kidneys as to what to do with the sodium.

Though, that much salt and water a day would be more inline with treatment for those with low blood volume - others wouldn't need large amounts fluid unless they spent time outside in the summer heat.

aether4 · 07-13-2008, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LisaRD

Most people consume significantly more salt than is needed each day, 6-18 grams on average.

How do they do it?! It's really hard for me to get near the minimum 4-5grams I need (supposed to have more then that), I have to take salt tablets to do it as I don't like salty foods.
Probably one of the reason my blood volume is so low - eating a very low sodium diet for many years.

famnd · 07-14-2008, 08:35 PM

Just wanted to add that we don't have to actually eat 1 tsp. of salt each day because many of the foods we eat contain sodium naturally without adding salt.

Another important note is that we need iodine for the thyroid to function properly. 1/2 tsp of salt (iodized) contains enough iodine for a day. Most vitamins have iodine also. Fish of course is a good source. Food such as fruit & vegetables grown iodine rich soil would contain iodine too. Fam