Salt and Heart Conditions

Salt plays a major role in the diets of most Americans, even those who don't keep the salt shaker prominently on the dinner table. Around 75 percent of the sodium Americans consume each day comes from processed foods, which use sodium as a flavoring and a preservative. Even medications can contain large amounts of sodium. Yet your body needs very little salt, far less than the 3,436 mg consumed by most American each day, according to the American Heart Association. Too much sodium can increase the risk of heart disease.

Hypertension

The disease most often related to excess sodium consumption is high blood pressure, medically called hypertension. Around 65 million American have hypertension, blood pressure greater than 140/90, and another 45 million have pre-hypertension, borderline blood pressure levels between 120/80 and 140/90, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. Hypertension is a major cause of heart disease and stroke, the No. 1 and No. 3 killers in America.

Effects

Sodium raises blood pressure because the body retains excess sodium rather than excreting it in about 20 percent of people, the American Association of Kidney Patients says. Sodium increases water retention by osmosis, pulling fluid out of tissues into the blood vessels. The blood vessels become distended with extra fluid, which puts pressure on the vessels walls, which thicken and narrow, so the heart has to pump harder against the increased resistance. The heart walls thicken and the heart enlarges dangerously, which can lead to heart failure.

Reduction Benefits

Reducing sodium intake in foods by 50 percent could save as many as 150,000 lives per year in the United States, say Stephen Havas, M.D., author of an American Public Health Association resolution to lower sodium intake in processed and restaurant foods by 50 percent over the next 10 years. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, study conducted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute measured blood pressure in individuals consuming 3,300 mg of sodium, considered a high amount; 2,400 mg, considered an intermediate amount; and 1,500 mg, a low amount. Lowering sodium levels from high to low reduced blood pressure by 8.3/4.4 in people with hypertension and by 5.6/2.8 mmHg in people with normal blood pressure.

Recommendations

No one should consume more than 2,400 mg of sodium per day, and as many as 69 percent of people should take in under 1,500 mg, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. This group of people, who have increased risk for developing hypertension, includes people over age 40, African-Americans and those who already have hypertension. Reading labels and not adding salt to foods helps you keep your sodium intake levels within normal limits.