Three’s Trouble: High-Sodium Food, High Blood Pressure, and Heart Disease
Why Too Much Salt is Hard on Your Body
Salt can make food taste delicious, but too much can spell big trouble for your health—even if you don’t have high blood pressure. Most people consume a lot more sodium than they need, often through salty snacks and processed food. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends no more than 2,000 mg/day, but when half of that comes from a single tablespoon of soy sauce with your sushi, it’s going to be tough to not go over that day!1 And over time, this causes serious problems like high blood pressure (hypertension) and heart disease (heart enlargement, heart attack, heart failure).1,2
Knowing the recommended limits and the benefits of a low-sodium diet can empower you to make better choices that prioritize your long-term well-being over the short-term convenience of a sodium-loaded frozen dinner. Let’s explore how salt affects your body and why cutting back is a smart move.
How Too Much Salt Can Hurt Your Heart
Think of it like turning up the faucet of a garden hose—the pressure inside gets stronger as the amount of water increases.2 When you eat food with lots of salt, the sodium in that salt pulls water out of your cells and into your blood vessels, increasing your blood volume and pressure. Within just 30 minutes of eating salty food, your blood vessels can’t expand properly.3 So, your heart must work harder to pump all that extra blood through your body.2,3 This leads to:
Thicker heart muscle
The heart muscle gets thicker as it works harder, a condition known as left ventricular hypertrophy. This can eventually lead to heart failure, where the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs.5
Increased risk of heart attack
High blood pressure can damage the arteries, making them less elastic and more prone to blockages. This increases the risk of a heart attack, where the blood supply to the heart is blocked and heart muscles die without enough oxygen.5
Heart failure
As the heart works harder, it can become weaker over time. This means it can’t pump enough blood into your other organs, leading to heart failure.5
Atherosclerosis
High blood pressure can also lead to plaque buildup in the arteries, a process called atherosclerosis. This narrows the arteries and further increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.5
Where Does Too Much Sodium Come From?
Even if your blood pressure stays normal, too much salt can damage your blood vessels and your heart over time. These “Salty Six” are the most popular foods that have too much sodium: soup, tacos, bread, sandwiches, cold cuts, and pizza.4
How Can You Stay Healthy?
It’s not easy, but it’s doable. The most important information you will need is the amount of sodium. For example:
- 1 slice of cheese pizza = 600 mg
- 1 serving of fast-food chicken tenders = 800 mg
- 1 slice of cooked bacon = 400 mg
Makes you rethink dinner, doesn’t it? When you reduce the salt in your diet, good things happen quickly! Your blood pressure can start dropping within days.3 In fact, in countries where people cut back on salt, rates of heart attacks went down within just a couple of years.3
Cutting back doesn’t mean eating bland food. Try eating fresh fruits and vegetables instead of salty snacks or processed foods. Cooking at home with herbs and spices instead of salt can also help reduce sodium intake. Low-sodium recipes use herbs, spices, citrus, and other flavorful ingredients to make delicious meals without extra salt. Your taste buds will adjust to less salt over time, and you’ll start noticing the natural flavors in food more. By choosing low-sodium recipes, you’re protecting your heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and brain – all while enjoying tasty, healthy food!
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/sodium/art-20045479
- https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sodium/sodium-and-salt
- https://www.heart.org/en/news/2021/05/26/how-much-harm-can-a-little-excess-salt-do-plenty
- https://newsroom.heart.org/file?fid=50ddc37a29371a28e000004b
- https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/health-threats-from-high-blood-pressure