Should a Low Sodium Heart Healthy Diet Be Considered?
The benefits of a low sodium heart healthy diet are well known, but what is the evidence to support the low sodium content of the diet? In my opinion, there is not enough evidence to convince me that this is a healthy or heart healthy diet. Lets take a look at the evidence.
The American Heart Association recommends limiting dietary salt intake to two grams per day. While there is no evidence to indicate that reducing the amount of dietary salt is a beneficial thing, reducing the amount of sodium in the diet has been shown to reduce blood pressure levels. That makes sense to me.
The US Preventive Services Task Force suggests that eating a diet low in sodium, and increasing exercise are part of a heart healthy diet. The problem is that they give little information about how to get started. It seems that they do not have enough data to recommend that salt be reduced, but this should not be the case. In my opinion, the foods that are high in sodium should be limited.
Hypertension is a common condition of which hypertension is one symptom. This condition affects many people in America today. This is where salt is important. The heart has more work to do when it has to work harder. If you decrease the amount of salt in your diet, you will lower the risk of hypertension.
There is some conflicting information from medical experts about what causes hypertension. Some say that it is caused by too much salt in the diet. Others say that the increase in sodium intake contributes to hypertension.
For those people who are experiencing high blood pressure, the advice of a low sodium diet may be very useful. The downside to eating less salt is that the taste of salty foods can change our taste buds. When we eat the same food, the taste changes. It is hard to choose between salty and bland foods.
You may find that the amount of salt you need in your diet depends on your weight. If you have a lot of excess body fat, your blood pressure may be higher than it should be if you were eating a low-sodium diet. In this case, a high sodium diet might be a better choice.
Salt also contributes to cholesterol in the blood. Some doctors believe that diet lowers the amount of LDL cholesterol that goes into the blood, and the amount of HDL cholesterol that goes out.
Some studies have shown that the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood is increased with the amount of salt in the diet. Studies done in New Zealand, where there was a reduction in salt consumption, showed an increase in LDL cholesterol. This was shown on a large scale, so the effect may be more for people with high cholesterol levels.
Some people dont believe that a low sodium diet is good for everyone. While salt is very beneficial to your health, too much may be harmful. Many experts do not believe that we should eat salty foods all the time, but you should consume less than 2 grams per day.
Other factors that can affect the effects of a low sodium heart healthy diet include diet, sex, and race. There may be health problems associated with too much salt in the diet. The effects of a low sodium diet may vary by different people.
Another concern with a low sodium diet is the rise in sodium in the water supply. Studies have shown that the amount of sodium in the water supply may increase to dangerous levels.
