Salt intake

[RonSym]

A report in today's (27/8/23) Observer says that salt can cause AF. But I suffer from low blood pressure, for which I thought it was good to take more salt. Should I take more or less ?

[BenHall1]

I have been added salt free for at least 25 years - maybe more. By that I mean I have never added salt to a meal ...... the only salt in my diet is that which is in the food or in the cooking process. I still got paroxysmal AF 13 years ago. For me at least there is no connection. Don't exclude the genetic influence though. If your gene pool is such that you have a predisposition to AF then who knows what can happen. That's certainly true for me and my Dad's side of the family ...... a history of strokes and AF going back - at least - to 1964 !

[jwsonoma]

Hi Ron,

I have low BP and used to salt everything like the British Navy used to salt meat and fish for a long sea voyage.

There is an interesting video by Dr Michael Gregor - Sodium and Arterial Function: A-Salting Our Endothelium. You can google him. /it.

He concludes even with low BP too much salt is not good.

[CDreamer]

More or less of how much?

Depends upon your diet and if you eat processed and ultra processed foods.

I also have low BP and the recommendation for people with low BP is at least 6g per day, inclusive of any salt in cooked and processed foods - that is a small teaspoon.

As you didn’t post a link to the article or the original study it’s very difficult to comment. Did they cite the researchers and link to the study? When was the study done? How big was the participant group? You need to post a lot more information if you want logical answers.

If not I would ignore as we are still in the ‘silly season’ for press releases

[Windlepoons]

I only have Himalayan mountain salt. I read the normal table salt isn't good for you. Himalayan salt not only tastes good but it has 17 other trace minerals in it and tastes good. Several friends that have had low sodium levels diagnosed have tried it when I gave them some and it helped them with no ill effects. I've used it for decades.

[secondtry]

My conclusion is that for the majority AF is caused by a raft of factors. I would categorise salt intake as a minor contributor and stress, over exercising and processed foods as major contributors. It is easy to get taken in by the Mainstream Media reporting with attention grabbing headlines.

[Finvola]

I think there is no 'one size fits all' where salt intake is concerned. I have low normal BP, take a beta blocker and dislike adding salt to most foods. Consequently, I get huge drops in BP if I get dehydrated.

My cardiologist advised me to take 3g of salt daily to keep my BP at normal levels and to drink 2 to 3 litres of water.

Have a talk with your doctor or pharmacist as there are often worrying articles about too much salt in our diets - not surprising when many people have a daily intake of more than 9g.

[Ppiman]

I shall read the article later - thanks for the information. I had a quick look and felt that the Guardian's use of the phrase "slash your risk" was one reason I so hate health reporting and have gone off that one august newspaper. A reduction of a "fifth" is also poor information. We need to know what numbers are involved, I feel, not what percentage.

Steve

[Pindarus]

Generally speaking I believe we get more than enough salt in our normal diet and we don't need to add any salt to our home prepared meals. Low blood pressure is far less of a risk than high blood pressure.

[CDreamer in reply to Pindarus]

If you have ever had to live with low BP and are unable to remain uprights you might have a different view. The risks are different and a very low BP is more of an emergency as when systolic drops below 90 your internal organs are not well oxygenated. When you have very low BP you know about it, when you have high BP you won’t.

[ling in reply to CDreamer]

Hear! Hear!Couldn't agree more!

[Gre-ta]

I have low blood pressure at times but more salt is not the solution although this is advised by GPs. From what I’ve read your blood vessels stiffen after a meal with salt & so are not flexible & don’t allow more blood flow when needed. It’s more complicated than this but this is roughly how I understand it. I also read that if you drink a litre or more of water a little while before a meal your BP won’t drop afterwards. That does seem to work. I gave up adding salt while cooking & only add a minimum with my fingers when the food is on my plate.

If you cook with fresh ingredients there should be no salt in your food. Use low salt soy sauce sparingly if you must.

I hope this helps.

[CDreamer in reply to Gre-ta]

There are different reasons for low BP and it is helpful to know the cause. This is the advice for Postprandial hypotension from the STARS website which you may find helpful. My problem is getting enough salt into my diet so it goes into cooking and on the plate but never table salt, Himalayan or Sea Salt crystals.

Postprandial hypotension can be lessened by eating small meals often. Refined carbohydrates (found in foods made with white flour, sugary foods, white pasta etc) should be avoided, or eaten later in the day when patients can lie down afterwards*.

api.heartrhythmalliance.org...

[healingharpist]

HI RonSym, Dr. David Brownstein is one of the doctors who has researched extensively on the need for salt, but the big caveat for him is the TYPE of salt being consumed. He & other writers say the problem is the bleached and refined commercial-grade salt we use at table, and which is added into canned & processed food. (Table salt even has sugar (dextrose) added to it--check the label!) Instead, he recommends pink Himalayan or Redmond's RealSalt which is mined from an underground ocean bed that dried up centuries ago, containing 60+ additional minerals. (I use Redmond's & love the taste.) Canadian Dr. Carolyn Dean also recommends salted water as part of her atrial fib protocol. Not every doctor thinks salt is a problem child, and we know the first thing they give us in hospital is some version of IV saline or lactated Ringer's. Interesting topic.