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Weight Loss Forum / General Topics / August 2004Blood pressure and salt
I'm quite salt sensitive. After two days of a typical "American" diet with 6 grams of salt a day my bp went from 115/75 to 140/90. No more salt for me! It's taken 3 days of low salt to get back to 115/75. Low salt has another "benefit" - low salt doesn't taste as good so you eat less! > I'm quite salt sensitive. After two days of a typical "American" diet > with 6 grams of salt a day my bp went from 115/75 to 140/90. No more > salt for me! It's taken 3 days of low salt to get back to 115/75. > Low salt has another "benefit" - low salt doesn't taste as good so you > eat less! I've never been one to add salt to my food and the only thing it seems to cause is water retention for me. Have you tried any of the Mrs. Grass's seasonings? Most are salt free and quite good. I use them to flavor my vegetables, tofu, etc. Beverly > I'm quite salt sensitive. After two days of a typical "American" diet > with 6 grams of salt a day my bp went from 115/75 to 140/90. No more > salt for me! It's taken 3 days of low salt to get back to 115/75. > Low salt has another "benefit" - low salt doesn't taste as good so you > eat less! You might use "low salt" (66% potassium chloride 33% sodium chloride) *if* your potassium is not too high already (blood test - high potassium level is harmful, very low potassium level could also explain the BP). There's still sodium, but only one third. Besides, potassium can lowers blood presure. You could also try monosodium glutamate. There's still sodium, but for some people it enhances the meal at much lower doses than salt, so they still cut the total amount of sodium. Though some people seem to react badly to glutamate. Or you could just try spices. >I'm quite salt sensitive. After two days of a typical "American" diet >with 6 grams of salt a day my bp went from 115/75 to 140/90. No more >salt for me! It's taken 3 days of low salt to get back to 115/75. >Low salt has another "benefit" - low salt doesn't taste as good so you >eat less! It does when you get used to it! Again, the advantage of doing your own cooking - you can control how much salt you add. Be aware that, in very hot weather, you do need slightly more than if it is cold, since you lose quite a lot in your sweat.  SignatureAnnabel Smyth mailto:annabel@amsmyth.demon.co.uk http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/index.html Website updated 7 August 2004 - for a limited time, be bored by my holiday snaps! >I'm quite salt sensitive. After two days of a typical "American" diet >with 6 grams of salt a day my bp went from 115/75 to 140/90. No more >salt for me! It's taken 3 days of low salt to get back to 115/75. >Low salt has another "benefit" - low salt doesn't taste as good so you >eat less! Oh dear, I know salt can cause high blood pressure, strokes, etc. but it is one of my greatest weaknesses. I really don't enjoy my food without it. I don't add it to prepared foods that are already seasoned, but I do sprinkle it all over my veg and often the rest of my meal too. In the very hot weather we've been having, I suffer agonising cramps in my legs at night and I've heard this can be due to losing too much salt from sweating. Does anyone know if this is true? janice (who looks for any excuse to increase her salt intake:) > >I'm quite salt sensitive. After two days of a typical "American" diet > >with 6 grams of salt a day my bp went from 115/75 to 140/90. No more [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > janice (who looks for any excuse to increase her salt intake:) Here's an interesting article on night time leg cramps http://www.womenshealth.org/a/leg_cramps.htm Before I was diagnosed with osteopenia I had them frequently. Since adding the additional calcium to my diet I'm seldom bothered with them. This might have been my problem. I believe dehydration can be another cause - are you drinking plenty of fluids? Beverly >> In the very hot weather we've been having, I suffer agonising cramps >> in my legs at night and I've heard this can be due to losing too much [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > >Beverly Thanks Beverly, I had a look. I'm supposed to be taking a strong calcium supplement which my doctor prescribed for me when I gave up HRT, but I didn't take it straighta way due to issues with my throat, probably caused by acid reflux. However, I think I ought to try getting back on it. I'm very bad at drinking enough, but I do drink more in the hot weather as it's about the only time I get thirsty. I think I need to replace the minerals I lose in sweating though. I eat a banana most days, and I take a mineral supplement. I don't think it's an age thing, as I've experienced these cramps in the hot weather since I was quite young. janice >I'm very bad at drinking enough, but I do drink more in the hot >weather as it's about the only time I get thirsty. I think I need to >replace the minerals I lose in sweating though. I eat a banana most >days, and I take a mineral supplement. I don't think it's an age >thing, as I've experienced these cramps in the hot weather since I was >quite young. It's funny, I get *far* worse cramps when I'm cold, especially in my feet. SignatureAnnabel Smyth mailto:annabel@amsmyth.demon.co.uk http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/index.html Website updated 7 August 2004 - for a limited time, be bored by my holiday snaps! > Thanks Beverly, I had a look. I'm supposed to be taking a strong > calcium supplement which my doctor prescribed for me when I gave up [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > janice If you're only drinking water when you're thirsty, you're probably not drinking enough. Also, eat a banana daily or a serving of potatoes. With all the lowcarb stuff going around, I'm sure there's lots of folks who aren't getting enough pottasium. The third thing that keeps from getting cramps is stretching my calf muscles. 1) drink enough water 2) get enough pottasium 3) stretch Martha > >I'm quite salt sensitive. After two days of a typical "American" diet > >with 6 grams of salt a day my bp went from 115/75 to 140/90. No more [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Oh dear, I know salt can cause high blood pressure, strokes, etc. but > it is one of my greatest weaknesses. salt doesn't cause those things. it exacerbates them if they already exist, but it doesn't cause them. >> >I'm quite salt sensitive. After two days of a typical "American" diet >> >with 6 grams of salt a day my bp went from 115/75 to 140/90. No more [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >salt doesn't cause those things. it exacerbates them if they already >exist, but it doesn't cause them. I thought it was believed that salt can lead to high blood pressure, but I could be wrong. What I should have said is that this, in turn, can lead to strokes etc. janice > I thought it was believed that salt can lead to high blood pressure, > but I could be wrong. What I should have said is that this, in > turn, can lead to strokes etc. It's the same deal as with cholesterol. If you don't have a genetic or metabolic trait that makes your cholesterol naturally high, dietary cholesterol won't offset the balance until you reach enormous amounts of it. Same with salt. Most people regulate their blood sodium level fine. For them, dietary sodium won't matter much, since any excess will be filtered by the kidneys and removed from the bloodstream. So, dietary sodium won't impact their blood presure one way or another. But some people (hint: blood test can sample your blood sodium levels) have troubles getting excess sodium out of their bloodstream. For *them*, dietary sodium will have an impact on blood presure. Bottom line is that if you're perfectly normal, there is no need to go to extremes to cut sodium (or cholesterol), as long as consumption is reasonnable (like, eating 200g of sodium *will* cause problems to normal people too ;). >In the very hot weather we've been having, I suffer agonising cramps >in my legs at night and I've heard this can be due to losing too much >salt from sweating. Does anyone know if this is true? > >janice (who looks for any excuse to increase her salt intake:) My mother would say it was lack of salt - she grew up an Army Brat, and when on postings to the tropics, they'd be given salt tablets to ward off cramp. Although I think nowadays don't they reckon it's dehydration, rather than lack of salt? Try Diarolyte, or one of those electrolyte-balancing (horribly carbohydrate-heavy) sports drinks. SignatureAnnabel Smyth mailto:annabel@amsmyth.demon.co.uk http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/index.html Website updated 7 August 2004 - for a limited time, be bored by my holiday snaps! Janice, Not everyone is as salt sensitive as I am! Yes, lack of sodium can cause cramps. "A low-salt diet does not lower high blood pressure in most people with high blood pressure. A high-salt diet causes high blood pressure usually only in people with high blood insulin levels. Heavily salting food and drinking salty drinks when you exercise for more than 2 hours in the heat should not raise blood pressure anyway. If you don't take salt and fluids during extended exercise in hot weather, you will tire earlier and increase your risk for heat stroke, dehydration and cramps." http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/8061.htm > >I'm quite salt sensitive. After two days of a typical "American" diet > >with 6 grams of salt a day my bp went from 115/75 to 140/90. No more [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > janice (who looks for any excuse to increase her salt intake:) Not me, fortunately. I *love* salt. I crave it. I pour tons of it on my steaks, etc. and get the saltiest chips and pretzels I can, pizza, hot rods, etc. My blood pressure is always under 110. ... though... I really suspect that in a lot of people, the problem isn't too much salt, but rather too little potassium to balance it. I don't think it's a coincidence that my body seems to crave orange juice more than any other drink after a really salty meal. You might want to give one of those half-and-half salt substitutes (half salt, half potassium) a try... or like me, make sure you have a diet rich in OJ, milk, nuts and other good sources of potassium. These are almost guaranteed to cause your blood pressure to drop. >I'm quite salt sensitive. After two days of a typical "American" diet >with 6 grams of salt a day my bp went from 115/75 to 140/90. No more >salt for me! It's taken 3 days of low salt to get back to 115/75. >Low salt has another "benefit" - low salt doesn't taste as good so you >eat less! |
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