Salt Sensitivity & Menopause

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, but the risk for death occurs in women an average of 10 years later than men, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Doctors and scientists attribute the delay in risk to the protective effects of estrogen and conclude that after women enter menopause, when estrogen levels drop significantly, their risk for heart disease increases. Approximately 52 percent of women older than the age of 45 suffer from hypertension, which may occur as a result of salt sensitivity.

Salt Sensitivity

The average American diet promotes the intake of an excessive amount of salt; with most people older than age 2 consuming 3,436 mg of sodium per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sodium, or salt, attracts water so as the amount of salt in your blood increases so does the amount of water. The increase in fluid causes your blood pressure to increase to propel the added volume through the blood vessels. Salt can contribute to high blood pressure in some people, but not everyone exhibits a salt sensitivity. Your doctor can determine if you are sensitive to the effects of salt by measuring how your blood pressure responds to a decrease in salt intake.

Impact

A person with salt sensitivity suffers from an increased risk for high blood pressure, which in turn increases their risk for heart disease. The National Institutes of Health reports that 58 percent of Americans with hypertension also suffer from salt sensitivity. The more astonishing figure is that 26 percent of people with normal blood pressure also suffer from salt sensitivity; salt sensitivity even without hypertension increases your risk of death. Women in menopause need to pay special attention to their salt intake, since their risk for other heart disease risk factors such as high blood cholesterol also increases.

Menopause Study

Research published in a 2006 issue of "Hypertension" studied a group of 40 non-diabetic women who underwent surgery to remove their ovaries and uterus, therefore putting them into surgical menopause. The study focused on whether menopause increased the occurrence of salt sensitivity among healthy women. Doctors measured the effects of sodium intake on the day before surgery and four months following surgery. They found that although only nine women exhibited salt sensitivity prior to the surgery, 21 women developed salt sensitivity after menopause, but did not yet show signs of high blood pressure. The scientists concluded that menopause may unmask salt sensitivity in some women making them at higher risk for high blood pressure and heart disease.

Salt Intake

The U.S. Department of Agriculture developed the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 to help people meet their daily nutritional needs while staying within their calorie needs. These guidelines highlight certain substances in the diet that you should reduce, and sodium remains a mineral of interest. The average daily intake remains well over the recommended intake of 2,300 mg per day. The guidelines, along with the American Heart Association strongly urge you to reduce your intake even further to less than 1,500 mg per day. Everyone, but especially those at risk heart disease, including those with high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, or women in menopause, should make lifestyle changes to reduce your salt intake.

Salt Sensitivity & Menopause