Dangers of a High Salt Diet

admin - September 11, 2014

Think you’ve managed to avoid salt in your diet? Think again. Even if you don’t sprinkle a little extra salt on your meals, it’s sneaking into your diet from other foods you eat.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, consuming too much salt is responsible for 1.6 million cardiovascular-related deaths annually. The World Health Organization has a maximum of 2,000 mg of sodium per day, and when that limit is exceeded, the effects can be devastating.

What’s the Danger?

If you consume a large amount of sodium, it increases blood pressure which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, mainly heart disease and stroke.

Many people eat more than twice as much salt as they should, with the average person in the United States eating around 3.95g of sodium each day. In the U.S. alone, around 58,000 cardiovascular deaths each year can be attributed to a high sodium intake.

Cut Your Intake to Reduce Your Risk

So if you aren’t dumping salt onto your plate, where does the sodium come from? Around 75% of the excess sodium consumed comes from processed and pre-prepared foods. Canned soups, rice mixes and frozen pizzas can have up to 1,000 mg of salt per serving, which is half of the daily recommended intake.

Going out to eat can also be a dangerous game. Restaurant meals can have more than enough salt in them to account for the whole day’s recommended intake.

Your best bet? Eating home cooked meals with fresh ingredients. Fill your diet with wholesome foods like low-fat dairy, lean protein, fruits, vegetables and legumes. Use plenty of fresh herbs and spices instead of salt to add in extra flavor.

Reducing Your Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

While avoiding salt can help reduce your risk for developing cardiovascular disease, there are other risk factors that you can modify. Be sure to follow a regular exercise routine, quit smoking, and lowering high cholesterol are just a few.

Other risk factors can’t be changed including gender, age and family history. At Life Line Screening, we offer preventive health screenings to individuals who do not present symptoms of a disease, but may be at risk simply due to age and family history. Learn more about our screening options that can help you assess your personal risk for cardiovascular disease including stroke and heart disease.

Comments

1. Susan Elguindy - September 28, 2014 at 11:49 am

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