Many individuals are aware that eating too much salt is harmful. Fewer people understand why. They’re astonished at how much it may affect people, said Dr Laffer, who is a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
Salt Intake Can Be Harmful To Health
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 90% of Americans aged two and up to consume too much salt. The majority of it is in the form of salt, commonly known as sodium chloride.
The consequences of salt on the circulatory system are a pretty simple plumbing problem, according to Dr Elijovich, a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University.
He described the heart as a pump and the blood arteries as pipes. When it increases the amount of blood passes through the pipes, the blood pressure rises. When those pipes are shrunk, blood pressure rises as well.
Salt does both functions. When people have too much salt in their system, the heart pumps more blood in a shorter period of time, raising the blood pressure. And, over time, salt narrows the arteries themselves, which is the most prevalent plumbing trait of high blood pressure.
The ability of blood vessels to dilate is decreased within 30 minutes after ingesting too much salt, according to Elijovich. The consequences of chronic high blood pressure manifest themselves in the form of heart attacks, strokes, and other complications.
The good news, according to Laffer, is that the advantages of reducing salt consumption appear immediately. When people dramatically cut their salt intake, their blood pressure drops within hours or days.
Therefore maintaining it in minimal quantity can have a substantial long-term difference. She claims that in the United Kingdom, there was a countrywide campaign to cut the salt in commercial meals. Within a few years, they had lowered the number of cardiovascular events and other negative effects. And it was rather remarkable.
Too much salt can stress the kidneys in addition to the heart. As per Laffer, salt excretion is one of its functions. However, with hypertension, the kidneys may not eliminate salt as effectively as they should. They might keep it. This can result in a variety of issues ranging from swollen ankles to fluid accumulation around the heart and lungs.
Salt can also harm the brain by destroying blood vessels and increasing blood pressure, both of which are important risk factors for stroke. It may also alter the functioning of the brain stem, which is responsible for regulating salt balance and blood pressure.
According to Elijovich, recent research shows that salt impacts the immune system, causing inflammation that may be the root cause of heart disease and other disorders.
His Vanderbilt coworkers are also investigating how salt influences gut microorganisms. The research is still in its early stages, according to Laffer, but data suggests that gut bacteria play a role in salt-induced inflammation and hypertension.
It might be difficult to make generic comments regarding salt and health. The underlying processes of salt’s effects on the body are not fully known.
Some persons with normal blood pressure can consume salt without experiencing a rise in their blood pressure. Others may suffer from salt sensitivity, in which even moderate salt consumption causes an increase in blood pressure.
However, Elijovich claimed that for the majority of people, reducing salt intake is beneficial.
Salt and sodium are not identical. However, salt contains the majority of the sodium in processed and restaurant meals. Thus the names are used interchangeably.
Laffer advised people to examine labels. Also, just because a product is labeled as low sodium does not imply it is.
Anyone who has high blood pressure should watch their salt intake carefully. Laffer, though, believes that everyone should be aware of what it does. That is his message to everybody who visits his clinic.
