Washington D.C. [USA], Feb 25 : A high salt intake, which can trigger high blood pressure, can be one of the leading causes of a heart attack in people worldwide.
Sodium inevitably goes into our system anyway as it is also added in manufactured products as a preservative as well as for flavour, color, and texture.
The British Journal BMJ published their recent meta-analysis of 133 randomised trials with strong evidence about cutting salt intake and its effects.
The research found that there was a direct relation between balanced blood pressure and cutting dietary sodium.
Dr. Icilma Fergus from New York's Mount Sinai Hospital explained, "The importance of this study is that it shows that the reduction in sodium results in blood pressure reduction widely across multiple populations, not just in populations who were initially deemed as salt-sensitive, such as African Americans."
The diagnosis of hypertension includes progress where the top number (systolic) was 140 and the bottom number (diastolic) was 90. And if the blood pressure gets at 130/80, one is concluded to be hypertensive.
"At 130/90 you already begin to see changes in the vasculature (blood vessels) of the kidneys and some hardening of the arteries, so having blood pressure in the lower range is beneficial," added Fergus.
( With inputs from ANI )