Does salt actually cause hypertension?

For years, scientists have guessed that excess salt intake may cause elevated blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart disease.

However, studies have given mixed results, partly because people's blood pressure responds to salt intake in various ways. Those people who have a tendency toward hypertension when eating an excessive amount of salt are also called being salt-sensitive.

Recently, the American Heart Association published a detailed report on the available evidence on sodium sensitivity. Here's a review of the review's main points.

What's Salt Sensitivity?

Salt sensitivity is a measure of the blood pressure responds to fluctuations in dietary salt intake.

How people's blood pressure responds to salt intake differs. Because of this, perhaps not everyone is salt sensitive.

Salt sensitivity isn't easy to accurately measure. Additionally, salt sensitivity isn't really a static factor, and also the limit above which people can be considered salt-sensitive is determined depending on the definition used.

But most people who are hypertension may also be salt sensitive and painful, particularly when their blood pressure is high.

The physiological mechanics behind salt sensitivity are incompletely understood. It's very likely that salt sensitivity is caused by abnormalities in the regulation of salt balance.

It's likely that disruptions of this organic rhythm may have something to do with salt but further studies are needed.

What Makes Salt Sensitivity Crucial?

There's presently no cure for salt sensitivity. However, salt-sensitive individuals may want to take anti-hypertensive drugs or limit their dietary salt intake.

The salt intake of most Americans exceeds the tips of 3,750--5,750 mg of sodium (1,500--2,300 milligrams of sodium) per day.

For people that are salt sensitive, then sticking with these recommendations may possibly reduce the probability of hypertension and heart disease.

But some observational studies indicate there is really a J-shaped association between salt intake and also heart disease. Both too little and too much salt could possibly be harmful.

Additionally, meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials suggest that salt limitation causes only a mild reduction in blood pressure, and many actually conclude that salt intake does not significantly affect heart disease threat.

Randomized controlled trials comparing salt sensitive and insensitive individuals are wanted.