All Salt isn't created equal
and
Sodium doesn't seem to be the main culprit to High Blood Pressure.
What???
But that is what the AHA has been telling us for years. There have been MANY inconsistent, botched, and biased studies out there floating around for years.I'll list a few at the end of this blog.
Recently the Institute of Medicine released a report on sodium that reveals that there is no real evidence to support a low sodium diet and cardiovascular disease. Basically through the years in many other journals like Scientific American, American Journal of Hypertension, The Journal of the American Medical Association etc there have been articles stating there is no strong evidence to show a correlation between the two. But when you have the government agencies on the anti-salt band wagon then information gets very foggy. I want to say for the record that I know some physicians that won't believe any studies unless they are done in the USA...... I guess that is because unless you are a resident of the USA you can't be a brilliant scientist. No matter that Albert Einstein was born in Germany and spent the first 60 years of his life outside the US..... (food for thought)
There is also a link between low sodium levels in the elderly and bone fractures. You see your bones and the rest of your body need minerals. Salt is one of them. Low potassium levels can cause high blood pressure, unbalanced Thyroid levels, low magnesium levels, lack of exercise, over consumption of alcohol, smoking and stress.
There is mounting evidence that our American diet high in sugar (fructose) and carbohydrates is a big factor in our high blood pressure crisis. Aren't these the main ingredients in fast food and junk food/drinks??? Dr. Richard Johnson MD has some compelling research out there about this very subject. You can see his lectures on U-Tube and read his books compiled of his research.
Back to salt and minerals!!
Now I am not saying to over eat salt! That will through your electrolyte balance spinning out of control. I'm just saying you should be more focused on your over all health than counting milligrams of sodium.
According to a recent study by the JAMA Internal Medicine, there is more important in keeping a sodium-potassium balance than a low sodium diet to regulate blood pressure. Also, an April 2014 study reported in JAMA states that a vegetarian diet lowers blood pressure. The vegetarian diet studied included eggs and fish, the abundance of fruits and vegetables which are rich in potassium. Other studies show the importance of potassium as well. Balance is the key!
Here are a few suggestions and tips.
Food rich in potassium
sweet potatoes, leafy greens, salmon, avocados
Foods rich in Magnesium
seeds and nuts, spinach, black beans, yogurt, pumpkin seeds
What salt should you use???
Well, good old table salt is on average 97.5% sodium chloride, it is bleached and highly refined, and 2.5% anti-caking agents. Usually with chemicals like aluminosilicate and ferrocyanide. It can be heated to at least 1,200*F. That changes the chemical structure of the molecule. I don't recommend this one!!!
Natural salt is about 84% sodium chloride.
I would get one or both of the following:
Himalayan Pink salt This salt comes from ancient sea beds in the Himalayan mountains. It's pink color comes from their rich iron content. This salt is, in fact, quite rich in minerals, containing all 84 essential trace elements required by your body.
Pink/Red Lava Salt -It is a Hawaiian salt, it gets its color from the volcanic Hawaiian clay called alaea. As water evaporates, this salt gets trapped in tidal pools, where it mixes with the alaea.It is estimated to contain the highest concentration of essential trace minerals of any salt and is especially iron rich.
The other suggestions would be to STOP eating refined food. Eat real food from real plants. Get out and take a walk. Lift some weights, go to a yoga class, go to the farmer's market and buy local.
If you need help getting on a clean diet and you want to try herbs then contact me. I can help!
BTW what salt is offered in hospitals, rehabs and schools???? HUMMMMM Aren't we supposed to be taking care of these people? Sometimes the little things add up to big things!!
Some of the references used in this blog are listed below. It is a great list comprised by Dr. Mercola.
J Chronic Dis 1987: The number of people who experience drops in blood pressure after eating high-salt diets almost equals the number who experience blood pressure spikes; many stay exactly the same.
Intersalt study, BMJ 1988: Conclusion: There is no relationship between sodium and hypertension; in fact, those who ate the most salt had a LOWER median blood pressure than those who ate the least salt.
DASH-sodium study, NEJM 1997: Conclusion: "A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods and with reduced saturated and total fat can substantially lower blood pressure. This diet offers an additional nutritional approach to preventing and treating hypertension." (Related Mercola article: Higher Salt Intake Tied to Longevity)
NHANES I, Lancet 1998: Conclusion: "These results do not support current recommendations for routine reduction of sodium consumption, nor do they justify advice to increase salt intake or to decrease its concentration in the diet." (Related Mercola article: Take the Latest Low Sodium Advice With a Grain of Salt)
Cochrane review 2003: Conclusion: "There is little evidence for long-term benefit from reducing salt intake."
NHANES II, Am J Med 2006: Conclusion: Lower sodium diets led to HIGHER mortality rates among those with cardiovascular disease, which "raised questions regarding the likelihood of a survival advantage accompanying a lower sodium diet."
Rotterdam Study, Eur J Epidemiol 2007: Conclusion: "From this and other epidemiological studies we conclude th effect of dietary salt on clinical cardiovascular endpoints and overall mortality within the range of intake commonly observed in Western countries has not yet been established."
Clin Sci (Lond) 2008: Low-sodium diets result in WORSE clinical outcomes for people with congestive heart failure, due to "detrimental kidney and neurohormonal effects."
Cochrane review 2011: Conclusion: Cutting down on the amount of salt has no clear benefits in terms of likelihood of dying or experiencing cardiovascular disease.
Rotterdam Study, JBMR 2011: Conclusion: "Mild hyponatremia in the elderly is associated with an increased risk of vertebral fractures and incident nonvertebral fractures, but not with bone mineral density. Increased fracture risk in hyponatremia also was independent of recent falls, pointing toward a possible effect on bone quality."
JAMA 2011: Conclusion: "Systolic blood pressure, but not diastolic pressure, changes over time aligned with change in sodium excretion, but this association did NOT translate into a higher risk of hypertension or cardiovascular disease complications. Lower sodium excretion was associated with higher cardiovascular disease mortality."
Meta-Analysis AJH 2011: Conclusion: "Despite collating more event data than previous systematic reviews, there is still insufficient power to exclude clinically important effects of reduced dietary salt on mortality or cardiovascular disease morbidity."
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