As we age, our sense of taste becomes less sensitive, so we need to eat more salt to feel the deliciousness of food.
However, too much salt can cause us to consume too much sodium, which is an important dietary factor in causing high blood pressure.
A team of researchers from Peking University found that if we replaced the usual table salt with "low-sodium salt", it could effectively reduce the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
1. What is low sodium salt?
We all know that eating too much salt will raise our blood pressure, but in fact, what really raises our blood pressure is not salt, but sodium.
Therefore, many people choose low-sodium salts.
Low-sodium salt is table salt that contains less sodium. It not only reduces the sodium in table salt, but also adds some potassium chloride and magnesium sulfate, which can help us regulate the balance of magnesium and potassium in the body, thus preventing high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases.
Therefore, we can use low-sodium salt instead of ordinary salt in our daily diet. However, we should also pay attention to the fact that we should not eat low-sodium salt casually, and we should still control the total amount of salt.
2. Why can low-sodium salt help control blood pressure?
Low sodium salt can reduce the amount of sodium in the body, thereby reducing the osmotic pressure and volume in the blood, and reducing the pressure on blood vessels caused by water and sodium retention;
It can increase the content of potassium in the body, thereby dilating blood vessels, reducing vascular resistance, promoting sodium excretion, and resisting the hypotensive effect of high sodium;
It can improve sodium and potassium balance, maintain normal neuromuscular irritability, and prevent cardiovascular complications such as arrhythmia.
Therefore, compared with ordinary table salt, low-sodium salt has a certain protective effect on patients with hypertension.
However, low-sodium salt is not unlimited, and excess potassium can also cause a burden on the kidneys and heart, and even cause hyperkalemia. Therefore, the intake of low-sodium salt should also be moderately controlled and follow the doctor's advice.
3. Who is not suitable for low-sodium salt?
Low sodium salt has some protective effect on people with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, but it is not suitable for everyone.
People with poor kidney function.
Potassium is excreted through the kidneys, and low-sodium salt contains more potassium, so if you have kidney problems, especially if you have impaired urination (such as uremia), you should not eat low-sodium salt.
Because the kidneys' ability to excrete potassium decreases, excess potassium cannot be excreted in time and will accumulate in the body, causing hyperkalemia, which can cause irregular heartbeats and even the risk of heart failure.
People taking potassium-sparing drugs.
These include ACE inhibitors (pril), ARB (sartan) antihypertensive drugs, and spironolactone potassium-sparing diuretics. These drugs themselves inhibit potassium excretion, and if low sodium salt is consumed, it increases the risk of high potassium in the blood.
Therefore, to eat "low sodium salt", we still have to choose according to our own physical condition.
Hot workers and heavy manual laborers.
These people will lose a lot of sodium in the body due to excessive sweating, and if they eat low-sodium salt at this time, it will cause electrolyte imbalance, so it is not suitable to eat low-sodium salt.
Therefore, low-sodium salt is not unrestricted consumption, and for the above groups, low-sodium salt should be used with caution or avoided. At the same time, the intake of low sodium salt should also be moderately controlled, and follow the doctor's advice.
According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, salt intake should be limited to 5 grams per person per day. This is equivalent to the amount of one cap of a mineral water bottle.
However, the average salt intake of Chinese is 105 grams, which is 3 times more than in other countries. This increases the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, osteoporosis, etc. Therefore, scientific salt control is very important.
Winter health care needs attention