Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of your arteries. Blood pressure is recorded as two numbers. The systolic pressure is the arterial vessel pressure as the heart beats. Diastolic pressure is the arterial vessel pressure as the heart relaxes between beats. There are several factors that can raise your blood pressure and possibly lead to high blood pressure, including taking certain medications, family history of high blood pressure and excess sea or table salt intake.
Sodium and Sea Salt
Sea salt contains 590mg of sodium per ¼ tsp. Table salt contains the same amount of sodium per serving. Both types of salt have the same effect on blood pressure. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that you get no more than 2,300mg of sodium per day. People aged 51 and over, African Americans of any age and people with hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease should get no more than 1,500mg of sodium per day. These recommendations are put in place to help you maintain optimal health. If you exceed these recommendations for sodium, you put yourself at a greater risk of elevating your blood pressure.
Sea Salt and Blood Pressure
When you eat excessive sea salt, your kidneys excrete the extra sodium in your urine. Many people accumulate more salt and water than their kidneys can handle. When there is excess sodium in the blood, it attracts excess fluid, increasing your blood volume. This leads to an increase in fluid pressure against your vessel walls, which can eventually damage your vessels. This vessel damage can lead to damage to some of your vital organs including your heart and kidneys. People with high blood pressure are at increased risk of heart failure, stroke, heart attack and kidney disease.
Consuming Sea Salt
Sea salt should be ingested moderately since eating even a small amount of this mineral can cause you to quickly exceed your recommended sodium intake. Additionally, processed foods tend to contain a lot of sodium, making it hard to avoid excess sodium intake. Replace or combine sea salt with herbs and spices when cooking if you have a hard time managing the amount of sodium you consume. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables in place of processed foods.
Monitoring Sodium Intake
Before you add sea salt to your food, read the food label and keep in mind the amount of sodium per serving of this mineral. Look at the food labels for all of the foods you eat and add up your sodium intake for the day, making sure not to exceed your recommended daily limits. If your intake falls within the government recommended guidelines for sodium, your blood pressure should not increase from sea salt intake. Being overweight or obese, having a stressful lifestyle or a family history of high blood pressure increases your risk of increased blood pressure or hypertension.
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