Just as too much sun can age your skin, too much salt can age your arteries — and increase the risk of heart disease.
The more salt we consume the more our blood vessels retain water. This extra water increases the volume of blood in our arteries, causing high blood pressure. High blood pressure makes blood vessels stiffer and less elastic. This can make blood pressure rise even more as blood pumps into rigid arteries that are unable to absorb the pressure the way healthier arteries can.
High blood pressure is a serious problem. It is the leading risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and arterial aneurysms which are potentially fatal bulges in the artery walls.
What’s the difference between salt and sodium?
Salt is made up of sodium and chloride. Although you need a little of both, too much sodium over the long term increases your risk of heart disease.
How much salt do you need?
You can get enough salt from the salt that occurs naturally in foods.
Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council suggests the adult daily dietary target should be less than 1,600mg sodium (equivalent to 4g salt), with 2,300mg (6g of salt) the maximum daily upper limit. This upper limit is equivalent to about a teaspoon of salt.
Remember, these amounts include salt from all sources — the salt we add at home to our cooking as well as salt already added to foods during the manufacturing process.
According to the Australian Division of World Action on Salt (AWASH), the estimated average consumption of salt in Australia is actually 10g per day for men and seven grams per day for women. Most of this salt (75 per cent) comes from processed food, not the salt we add ourselves to our food.
In their research, He and MacGregor found a number of studies supported a modest drop in salt intake for four weeks or more to have a significant and important effect on blood pressure. So if you have high blood pressure or an existing heart condition, there’s great benefit in reducing your salt intake to below 4g salt per day or less.
And even if you don’t have high blood pressure, you should still limit your salt intake. The National Heart Foundation of Australia says this can help you to prevent developing high blood pressure and it may also reduce your risk of developing other conditions that have been linked to salt.
How can you reduce your salt intake?
- Choose fresh, unprocessed foods including more vegetables and fruit over processed foods. For example, snacking on fresh fruit rather than packaged snack foods or biscuits can help reduce your salt intake. They also often contain potassium, which can help to keep your arteries healthy.
- Use less salt in your cooking at home — and use less gravy mixes, garlic salt, stock powder, packaged stock and soy sauce too.
- Read nutrition panels to look for foods that contain less salt. Remember that salt often turns up in unexpected places like sweet biscuits and breakfast cereals.
Simple ways to reduce salt intake — without sacrificing taste
- Reduce your salt intake slowly — this gives your taste buds time to adjust.
- Replace salt with other flavour boosters such as herbs, spices, fresh ginger, garlic, chilli, vinegars and citrus like lemon and lime juices, or lemon and lime zest.
- Reduce salty foods such as bacon, ham, salami, pizza and salty snacks like chips.
- Don’t automatically add the amount of salt stated in recipes — try adding half or less. If a recipe includes other salty ingredients like stock powder, Asian sauces, olives, capers, anchovies, bacon, cheese, ham or smoked salmon, you shouldn’t need extra salt.
Salt facts to remember
- Sea salt, rock salt and vegetable salt are no better for your blood pressure than ordinary table salt — all varieties of salt contain sodium and can have the same effect on your health.
- A low-salt food is one with 120mg salt or less per 100g.
- A high-salt food is one with 500mg salt or more per 100g.
Further information
Australian Division of World Action on Salt (AWASH) www.awash.org.au
Heart Foundation of Australia www.heartfoundation.org.au
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Reduce Salt and Sodium in Your Diet www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/sodium.htm
Sources
Australian Division of World Action on Salt (AWASH). Salt Myths. [online] Sydney, NSW: The George Institute for International Health. C2010 [accessed 2 Aug 2010] Available from: http://www.awash.org.au/cons_saltmyths.html
Better Health Channel. Salt. [online] Melbourne, VIC: State Government of Victoria. c1999–2010 [updated Aug 2009, accessed 2 Aug 2010] Available from: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Salt?open
Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA). Salt. [online] Deakin, ACT: DAA. [updated 4 Aug 2008, accessed 2 Aug 2010] Available from: http://www.daa.asn.au/for_the_public/smart_eating_for_you/nutrition-a-z/salt
Heart Foundation of Australia. Reduce your salt. [online] Australia. [updated 16 Jan 2010, accessed 2 Aug 2010] Available from: http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/food-and-nutrition-facts/pages/salt.aspx
He FJ, MacGregor GA. Effect of longer-term modest salt reduction on blood pressure. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;3:CD004937.
National Health and Medical Research Council. Nutrient reference values for Australia and New Zealand including recommended dietary intakes. [online]. Canberra: ACT: Commonwealth of Australian. 2006 [accessed 2 Aug 2010] Available from: http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/dietsyn.htm
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Last published: 30 October 2010
