PITTSBURGH — Cutting a teaspoon of salt from your daily diet could provide the same benefit as taking medications to reduce your blood pressure. That’s according to findings from a recent 2023 medical study.
Many of us have been there - a routine doctor’s visit, a nurse checks your blood pressure. And if it’s above 140/90. It’s high blood pressure, also called hypertension, a condition in which the force of the blood against the artery walls is too high.
Allegheny Health Network Cardiologist Doctor, Raghu Tadikamalla, shared this comparison to explain it better.
“So the brain gets blood, the kidneys get blood, the heart gets blood. So if the pressure is too high, those can be damaged. Just as if the pressure in your shower is too high the water can sting you.”
Close friends of Penn Hills coach Mason Murray say high blood pressure caused his recent death. Considering his active lifestyle, it came as a shock to those close to him.
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But Dr. Tadikamalla says half the people in this country have high blood pressure, so it’s common.
New research from a blood pressure study in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined sodium intake and high blood pressure.
Middle-aged to elderly participants reduced their salt intake by one teaspoon a day. The result? 72% had lower systolic blood pressure by about 6 millimeters of mercury.
“The average American eats about 1 and a half teaspoons of salt a day. Most of that is already in the food. It doesn’t come from the shaker.” said Tadikamalla.
That’s why he encourages his patients to read labels and prepare and flavor meals without salt.
Exercise and getting a good night’s sleep also helps lower blood pressure.
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