The high blood pressure is a major issue... since it causes stress to your heart and arteries, which increases your chance of suffering a heart attack or stroke. As time passes, high blood pressure can cause damage to your arteries and narrow them, which can reduce blood flow throughout your body. In addition, since all organs and tissues of your body require blood in order to function, it means that things such as your brain, eyesight, kidneys as well as your sexual health can be affected, which can reduce their quality, and reducing it considerably.

Salt... for cooking, for preservation and processing food items, as well as a flavor enhancer... can be found in sodium chloride. It is composed of 40% sodium and chloride 60% in mass. It dissolves into water and then breaks into chlorine and sodium ions. The body is unable to make sodium chloride. It relies on your diet to provide the proper intake of this essential nutrient.

Every diabetic is aware that those with type 2 diabetes have more than 80% possibility of also being hypertensive, or having high blood pressure. We are all aware that in addition to using a medication on a regular basis to manage the blood pressure, we should adhere to a low-salt diet due to the fact that the excessive salt intake is the main reason for high blood pressure.

But is the excessive salt intake really the main reason behind high blood pressure? Recent research suggests that this isn't the case.

Does too much salt really the root of high blood pressure?

In the issue of 2017 in the American Journal of Medicine it was reported in a study called Is Salt a Cause or an innocent bystander with Hypertension? that the belief that excessive salt consumption can cause hypertension is based upon opinion not factual.

The paper referenced an Cochrane Review of almost 170 studies, which found that sodium restriction is only able to lower blood pressure by 1% to 3% for people who have regular blood pressure ( normotensives) and between 3.5 percentage and 7% for those who suffer from high blood pressure ( hypertensives).

Cochrane Reviews are systematic reviews of the primary research on human health as well as health policy. They have been recognized internationally as the best standard of research-based health care.

Sugar, as the paper concluded that sugar is the main cause of hypertension.

The study was based on some evidence from a prior study of 133,000 adults which was reported in The Lancet in 2016 where it was found that excessive sodium intake, compared with moderate sodium intake, was associated by hypertensives with a higher risk of heart attacks and even death. However, there was no correlation in normotensives.

But, a reduced sodium intake was associated with an increased risk of heart events and deaths in both normotensives and hypertensives. This suggests that reducing sodium intake is best targeted to those with hypertension who consume high salt-based diets.

The idea that there is no evidence-based science to support the notion that salt is among the primary factors that contribute to hypertension, is subject to be questioned. In fact sodium is an essential Ion that is involved in neuroconduction, contraction of muscles, and cell signaling, therefore limiting your consumption of salt can be detrimental.

Clinic studies proving that an excessive salt intake increases BP

Recent research suggests that worldwide 62% of cerebrovascular disorders and 49 percent of ischaemic heart disease can be attributed to high blood pressure.

Every food item contains a certain amount of salt. However, the meat (about 0.3g per kilogram on average) is more salty than vegetables. A person's salt intake at Palaeolithic times was lower than 1g. Around 5,000 years ago, the consumption of salt within the food chain began to increase after the Chinese discovered that salt can be utilized to keep food in good condition. In time, as salt usage increased it's daily intake grew to an average of 12g per day by the 19th century.

However, when refrigeration was introduced in the latter part of 19th century the salt became essential for food preservation and consumption of salt per day began falling, a trend that continued until relatively recently. The consumption is back to the levels of the 19th century thanks to the increasing demand for processed, highly salted foods . Today, about 75 percent of our daily consumption of sodium is derived from processed food items... Sausages and rashers, crunchies, meats pizzas, chips and salty cheeses, among others.

The connection with salt intake in the diet and blood pressure was first shown in 1904 when Ambard and Beaujard conducted experiments with low and high salt diets for six patients... High salt diets caused BP (blood pressure) rise, while low salt diets produced the opposite effect.

The year was 1948. A doctor named Kempner treated 500 hypertensive people through diets that included fruits and rice with only a small amount of salt. The diets helped lower BP and heart size and cured hypertensive retinal. Unfortunately, the rice diet wasn't catching the attention of patients because it was in tasteless.

Since then, numerous animal studies have demonstrated the causality between diet sodium intake and hypertension. There have been numerous research studies into the impact the salt intake on BP in humans, and the BP lower effects of a lower salt diet has been proven numerous times.

In fact, thousands of people have participated in massive international studies of sodium intake and hypertension, for instance, the INTERSALT study that included more than 10,000 people aged between 20 and which demonstrated that there was an unidirectional correlation with salt intake and BP levels. The study, which was released in British Medical Journalin 1988, also demonstrates that BP increases with age but only when it is associated with the increase in salt intake.

Another notable study conducted well is that of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)-Sodium trial. This 12-week food trial that was well controlled and offered the strongest evidence on the impact on salt intake on human BP. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2001.

Despite recent doubts regarding the connection with salt intake and BP levels is evident scientifically and quite conclusively over the past few decades. What are the contradictory findings of the most recent research be understood?

Is there a third factor that influences BP levels?

Potassium and sodium... Two vital electrolytes

Your body gets rid of unwanted fluids and waste by filtering blood through the kidneys The unwanted fluids are taken out and then redirected along with waste to the bladder, where they are eliminated in urine. Two essential electrolytes, potassium and sodium is required to allow this process to take place.

The kidneys utilize osmosis to draw the water that contains the wastes from your blood. Osmosis is a method that lets solvent molecules pass through a semipermeable membrane to transform an unfocused solution to an even more concentrated solution. This procedure makes use of a mixture of potassium and sodium to force the water through the cell wall from the bloodstream to an osmosis channel that connects towards the bladder. This proportion of the two electrolytes must be within a specific interval for the process of osmosis to be effective.

The issue when you consume a lot of sodium is it boosts the sodium content in your bloodstream. It also disrupts the balance of potassium and sodium and decreases the kidneys' capacity to eliminate the excess water. This means that the wastes and water stay in the bloodstream. The result is a rise in blood pressure due to the increased fluids in your blood, and an increased pressure on the blood vessels that are delicately that lead to kidneys.

In time, this added pressure can harm kidneys, leading to kidney diseases. It reduces their capacity to eliminate the toxic wastes, which will then begin to accumulate within the body. If kidney disease goes untreated and the blood pressure isn't lowered, you'll end up suffering from the kidney failing... the kidneys are no longer able capable of removing blood from the body and your body gradually becomes poisoned by the toxic waste products it produces. The only option is dialysis regularly, which is a difficult, painful, and messy procedure.

The amount of potassium you consume is vital.

The DASH-Sodium study (mentioned above) demonstrated that a planned modification of the diet to increase intake of magnesium, fibre calcium, potassium, and fibre can reduce blood pressure significantly. The effect was further enhanced by restricting sodium intake.

It has been proven by numerous studies. Individual and combined effects of Dietary Factors on the Risk of In-Circident Hypertension A study that was published in the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health in October of 2017 concluded that the best way for lowering blood pressure in the long-run was to consume an omnivorous diet low in sodium and rich in potassium.

Recent studies have discovered that the consumption of potassium directly controls the amount of salt (sodium) the kidneys expel. A high intake of potassium causes the kidneys to release more sodium. Also, increasing the amount of potassium in your diet is as crucial as reducing sodium in decreasing blood pressure.

The need to maintain potassium levels steady

In contrast to sodium, which is through the bloodstream, potassium gets a concentrated in your body's trillions cells. This concentration inside cells' cells is maintained via a pump that works across the membranes of cells (outer cells' walls).

A typical concentration of potassium in blood plasma ranges from 3.5 to 4 millimoles per liter... Half or even double the amount can be dangerous and could, actually, be fatal.

If you're suffering from a lack of potassium, you'll first be able to notice the lack in muscle... for instance the muscles feel weaker and lifting heavier objects could be difficult.

However, if you have too the amount of potassium levels in your bloodstream, it may end be struck by cardiac arrest. Certain States in the USA make huge potassium shots to kill prisoners on death row.

But don't get over worried. Insulin is a key ingredient in the transfer of glucose and potassium into the cells of your body. The kidneys also release potassium. Healthy kidneys are efficient in ensuring the proper level of potassium within your body. However, if the kidneys aren't working properly (and you're not taking dialysis) increasing levels of potassium can lead to death.

As we've already discussed the fact that high intake of potassium lowers blood pressure, and there is a direct connection between a low potassium, high sodium diet and increased blood pressure. So, regulating the levels of potassium in the body is crucial to ensure health.

However, it was only recently that the role kidneys have in maintaining levels of potassium and sodium has been identified.

If you've lost significant amount of potassium in the past it is essential for the kidneys to keep the body's potassium... in fact, they prefer the potassium retention over sodium. If the potassium level is low, a sense in the kidneys instructs that the kidney tubules (the kidneys' pipe) to take in more sodium, which in turn minimizes your loss of potassium. However, this sodium retention can increase blood pressure.

In contrast, when you consume plenty of potassium, your body will retain less sodium to encourage the expulsion of potassium. This is the reason why eating potassium-rich food items can have a positive effect upon you blood pressure... it causes the body to excrete more sodium.

The most effective treatment

The dietary recommendation of the low-salt diet hasn't changed, however, it includes additional information to ensure you get enough potassium as well.

The main takeaway is that taking in plenty of potassium is as crucial as limiting salt and sodium intake... and, as chance will have it there are many ways to get plenty of potassium in your body without having to resort to supplements.

Fruits are great... Apricots and bananas, grapefruit, lemons and oranges and grapes. blueberries, olives and figs peaches, gooseberries, tomatoes and apples, as well as prunes and raisins are all packed with varying quantities of potassium.

Good sources of vegetables... Included are potatoes with peels on the cauliflower, lettuce, cress beetroot, spinach, and celery.

Other great source of potassium include... the nuts as well as legumes such as almonds Oats Whole wheat, fresh meat.