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Salt Sensitivity and High Blood Pressure

Shaking up the odds for high blood pressure.

Salt Sensitivity and high blood pressure

More than 100 million Americans suffer from high blood pressure, placing them at increased risk for heart attack and stroke. A new study published in Hypertension took a fresh look at the role of salt sensitivity.

Researchers found that individuals with high sensitivity to salt had a 43% greater risk for developing high blood pressure over an average of 7.4 years (compared with those with moderate sensitivity). Sensitivity levels were determined by putting people on a 7-day low-sodium diet followed by a 7-day high-sodium diet. The findings, based on data from 1,604 adults in China, indicate that salt sensitivity is a cause, rather than a consequence, of high blood pressure.

This study supports the idea of finding ways to gauge sensitivity to salt in the general population as a method to better combat hypertension. Future research could identify genetic variants or other biomarkers for.

See also: More Strikes Against Eating Too Much Salt


Matthew Kadey, MS, RD

Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Award–winning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.

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