By Dr. BPS Tyagi Eating a high-salt diet for several years is associated with markers of blood vessel damage like high uric acid and presence of albumin in the urine. People with any of these markers of blood vessel damage, who eat a high-salt diet are more likely to develop high blood pressure, said Padmashri and Dr B Roy National Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal president Heart Care Foundation of India.
The study published in the American Heart Association journal
Circulation analyzed the association between sodium consumption and
blood levels of uric acid and albumin in the urine — both markers of
blood vessel damage — in participants not taking high blood pressure
medicine. Higher sodium intake was associated with increasing levels
of uric acid and albumin over time. The higher the levels of these
markers, the greater the risk of developing hypertension if dietary
salt intake was high. Compared with participants eating the least amount of sodium (2.2 grams a day), those eating the most (6.2 grams mg/d) were 21 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure.
Those who had high uric acid levels and ate the most salt were 32
percent more likely to develop high blood pressure while those with
high urine albumin levels and highest salt intake were 86 percent more
likely to develop high blood pressure. A high-salt diet is believed to be responsible for 20 percent to 40 percent of all cases of high blood pressure.