Does Salt Cause High Blood Pressure?

According to the CDC, one in three Americans has high blood pressure. And, though we’ve pushed the “watch your salt intake” message to death (yes, even I recommend this for the masses, with a caveat or two though) it’s time to take a closer look at what really causes high blood pressure and also take the anti-salt mantra with well, a grain of salt.

First, let’s take a look at what causes high blood pressure. Blood pressure is a measure of the force of blood pushing against artery walls. And systolic (the higher number) is the pressure when your heart beats and pumps out blood to the body while diastolic is the pressure in your arteries at rest. Over time high blood pressure damages artery walls leaving behind areas that plaque can stick to very well. Plus, high blood pressure makes your heart work harder.

Those at greater risk for high blood pressure are:
- men over 45 and women over 55 (your artery walls are not as elastic when you age )
- family history
- lifestyle habits including:
- inactivity
- being overweight or obese
- smoking
- drinking too much alcohol
- excessive sodium consumption
- too little dietary potassium

And 90% of the people I’ve seen with high blood pressure are overweight and inactive. Amazingly enough when they drop some lbs and start exercising, their blood pressure often normalizes.

Now back to salt. While I think people should be mindful of their sodium intake, I think they need to spend more time focused on losing weight, getting active and quitting smoking. Secondly, people’s response to sodium varies tremendously. And lastly, it isn’t a good idea to cut out all salt from your diet because we need the iodine in iodized salt for proper thyroid functioning and according to some of the foremost nutrition scientist in the world, the recommendation to consume less than 2,760 mg sodium per day (CDC recommends 1,500 mg) is wrought with many assumptions including: "1) that the basic biology of the organism should be ignored; 2) that intakes below this threshold are not potentially harmful; 3) that the food industry can produce foods of such reduced sodium content and its attendant changes in texture, taste, and stability that people will change their eating habits; and 4) that people will desire to make these changes rather than see them as unwarranted constraints on a fundamental element of human behavior, ie, choosing the foods they eat."

For the most accurate blood pressure reading, follow these guidelines from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

Sure, you can cut the sodium down from 4,000 mg a day but, don't go too low.....

Beat Breast Cancer

This month is the 25th anniversary of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and though this is the 2nd leading cause of cancer in women, there are several things you can do to help decrease your risk:

1) Eat a diet loaded with colorful fruits and vegetables. According to the National Cancer Institute, fruits and vegetables are our best dietary bet for reducing our risk of this disease. Produce is loaded with antioxidants that may help us decrease the risk of some types of cancer. Aim for ½ - 2/3 of your plate from plant based foods.

2) Bone up on calcium and vitamin D. Some studies show that those with a higher intake of calcium and vitamin D from their diet, have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer.

3) Drink tea. Black, white, green and oolong tea are loaded with antioxidant polyphenols that may decrease our risk of some types of cancer. Add a slice of lemon, lime or an orange to further enhance your absorption of these disease fighting compounds.

4) Maintain a healthy weight and exercise. Overweight and obesity increases one’s risk of breast cancer, breast cancer recurrence and a poorer prognosis.

5) Aim for omega 3s. Omega 3s from fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, halibut, sardines, anchovies and lake trout decrease inflammation and keep our cell membranes fluid in structure (this is important so insulin can bind to it’s receptor site on cell membranes and because rigid membranes hold estrogen in the receptor for a longer period of time).

6) Support the Susan G Komen foundation by buying products with the pink ribbon on them or running the Race for the Cure.

Celebrating Women's Health Week

In honor of Women's Health Week, NIH Office of Women's Health recommends several important steps you can take to improve or maintain good health. All of these steps (listed below) are ones you've seen before. In fact, you've likely seen them many times. Therefore, it isn't the "what" but "how" you get these things accomplished with a busy, hectic schedule that can leave people stumped pondering their schedules over an ice cream sundae.

So first up to bad is physical activity. If you can't seem to meet the physical activity requirements, at the very minimum, strap on a pedometer or accelerometer and get 10,000 steps a day. Park further away, walk to your coworkers office instead of emailing, take a trip to a Super Target, and find other ways to add steps in. Also, start with small steps - do 15 minutes of activity a few days a week and work your way up. You'll soon find you have the time, you just needed to get better organized, make those phone calls while you walk or hop on a stationary bike if you want to watch the full hour of Dancing With the Stars.

Secondly, eat a healthy diet. Your diet does not have to be perfect, trust me, no one's is. However, it should be produce-packed, include low fat or fat free dairy, lean meats & poultry, fatty fish, nuts and seeds. If you are missing out on any of the major groups (meat for instance), take a look at the nutrients you may be falling short on as well.

As far as the last three on this list, they are no brainers. However, many people put other things first in life prior to going to their regular checkup (trust me, you can miss work for this), finding ways to manage stress and getting plenty of rest. As I always say, either pay now or pay more later. Think of it like interest on a car. If you pay for that car up front, you'll pay thousands less then if you pay 3 or 5% or more in interest. In a similar manner, if you take some time now, follow these steps below and take care of yourself, you'll pay a lot less later (both in terms of healthcare costs, lost time from work and lost time from life). For more about Women's Health Week and women's health in general, click here.

- Get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both each week
- Eating a nutritious diet
- Visit a health care professional to receive regular checkups and preventive screenings
- Avoid risky behaviors, such as smoking and not wearing a seatbelt
- Pay attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress