a new study found that reducing daily salt intake can reduce the demand for control of hypertension medication. The researchers said patients with resistant hypertension are those who take more than three drugs to try to control blood pressure, but still have very high blood pressure, these patients are the biggest benefits of low-salt diet.

In this study, researchers at the University of Queensland, Australia on 12 aged 55, taking an average of 3.4 drugs were studied in hypertensive patients. The researchers gave these patients high-salt diet to eat after a week, rest for two weeks to clear the body completely, and then eat low-salt diet.

their average body mass index (BMI) close to 33 is considered obese. In the beginning of the study, although the medication, but the average blood pressure is still 146/84 (120/80 good blood pressure in the following, if the blood pressure over 140/90 is considered hypertension). When the high salt diet, participants ate their daily intake of about 7,000 milligrams of sodium; when participants ate low-salt diet, the daily intake of about 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams of sodium, which is below the U.S. dietary guidelines recommendations on the amount of people , that is, less than 2,300 milligrams per day or about a teaspoon of salt. According to the American Heart Association, said patients with hypertension recommend sodium intake of 1500 mg, 3436 mg daily intake of ordinary Americans.

results showed that compared with high-salt diet, eat low-salt diet after a week, participants in the systolic blood pressure fell by an average 22.7mmHG (higher number), diastolic blood pressure decreased 9.1mmHG (lower figures). In another study, British researchers found that moderate reduction of salt intake can reduce the Asians, blacks and whites in the blood pressure.

This study tested the salt reduction of 30 to 75 years of age, high blood pressure slightly but not taking blood pressure drugs, the impact of 169 men and women. Their salt intake from an average of 9.7 grams per day down to 6.5 grams. This amount is converted to about 3800 mg to 2400 mg of sodium intake (sodium salt with different salt contains about 40% in sodium, the other is chloride). The results show that, in the beginning of the study, participants had a mean blood pressure was 147/91, in the eating low-salt diet, blood pressure dropped to an average of about 141/88.

researchers said, in addition to reducing salt can lower blood pressure, there are other benefits. For example: eating low-salt diet, urine calcium less in the long run, reduce the loss of calcium in urine is expected to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. And albumin in urine is also less representative of kidney damage high albumin, indicating a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The researchers pointed out that reducing salt intake are useful for everyone, even if your blood pressure is very low, not prone to osteoporosis. Although only 12 patients participated in this study against hypertension, but blood pressure lowering effect is obvious. The decrease in blood pressure and increase the extent of the effect of two antihypertensive drugs is the same. Different ethnic groups not only benefit from reducing salt, salt reduction on blood pressure is not only effective, such as kidney and heart also has to protect the potential effect.

(taken from Japan's “Chinese Guide”)