Reducing stroke risk
There’s now clear evidence that cutting salt intake effectively lowers blood pressure, both in people who already have high blood pressure and in those with normal blood pressure. A major international study has also shown that lowering the amount of salt you eat can keep your blood pressure down as you get older – in Western countries blood pressure tends to rise with age. However, the people in the study who ate a low sodium diet did not experience the same age-related rise in blood pressure. The message is clear – eating less salt can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke. Research shows that cutting the overall intake of salt by a third, from 9g to 6g, could prevent more than one-fifth of strokes. There’s also evidence that a high salt intake increases the risk of stroke, in a way that’s independent of its effect on blood pressure. Although it’s not understood why this happens, one suggestion is that it may be related to the effects of salt on the arterial walls. People with hardened arteries have a higher stroke risk and research has shown that lowering salt intake not only lowers blood pressure, but also causes a reduction in the hardening of the arterial walls.How to cut down
- Take the salt off the table and cut it out of your cooking – these measures alone can reduce your intake by one fifth. One teaspoon contains 5g of salt, so if you’re shaking it over your food you’re dramatically increasing your salt intake.
- Make more use of flavourings, such as fresh garlic, herbs and spices. You’ll probably find that the food tastes bland at first as we’ve all become used to eating very salty food, but your palate will adapt surprisingly quickly.
- Avoid processed foods and include as much fresh, unprocessed food as possible in your diet. Fruit and vegetables are particularly important, as they are rich in potassium, which is thought to help lower blood pressure.
- Cut down on foods that are high in salt such as savoury snacks and crisps, soup, ketchup, pickles, smoked meats and sausages, stock cubes, ready-made meals and takeaway foods.
- When buying tinned vegetables and fish, opt for those in water rather than those in brine.
- Start reading the labels to check the salt content – the salt content of different brands of the same product can vary enormously. It will be listed as either salt or sodium. To arrive at the total salt content multiply the sodium content by 2.5 and to work out the sodium content from salt divide by 2.5. A low sodium content is 0.3g per 100g or under.
- Don’t forget to check for other products containing sodium, such as monosodium glutamate or sodium bicarbonate.
(published with permission in writing from:http://www.stroke.org.uk)
