Did oyu know eating too much salt can damage your health. A high salt diet will slowly raise your blood pressure which increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Adults should eat less than 5-6g of salt a day and children much less. Below the fact that what you'll get if you not control the salt consume;
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the biggest cause of death in the world through the strokes and heart attacks it causes. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is considered to be a ‘silent killer’ because many people with high blood pressure have no symptoms and don’t realise they are at risk of serious health problems. Salt slowly puts up our blood pressure and eating too much is responsible for many thousands of strokes, heart attacks and heart failure deaths each year worldwide. People of South Asian and black African descent are particularly susceptible to high blood pressure
Eating less salt lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Heart attacks and heart failure
Raised blood pressure is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke and heart attacks. Coronary heart disease is the commonest cause of death in the UK. Untreated high blood pressure can also lead to heart failure, which can make the pumping action of the heart less effective. People of South Asian descent are prone to coronary heart disease.
Preventing high blood pressure will reduce the risk of heart attacks and heart failure.
Stroke
High blood pressure is the single most important risk factor for stroke. Salt is therefore directly responsible for many of these strokes. There is also increasing evidence that salt may have a direct effect on strokes, independent of and in addition to the effect it has on blood pressure. People of black African descent are at a higher risk of stroke.
Osteoporosis
Salt intake is the major factor controlling the amount of calcium in the urine and the amount of calcium lost from bones. As calcium is vital for bone strength, high salt intake may lead to weakening of the bones and an increased risk of osteoporosis. If we do not achieve the maximum strength of our bones when we reach our mid to late twenties, our risk of developing osteoporosis later in life is increased. Low salt intake in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood is therefore important for bone health.
Osteoporosis leads to bone fractures and breakages.
Obesity
Obesity is an increasing problem globally. Whilst salt is not the cause of obesity it increases thirst and the amount of fluids consumed, particularly sweetened soft drinks. A reduction in salt intake would cause a major reduction in the number of sweetened soft drinks being consumed, both by adults and children. Studies in the UK have shown that a reduction in sweetened soft drink consumption is likely to reduce the number of children developing obesity.
Stomach cancer
Salt, particularly in high concentrations, damages the delicate lining of the stomach. This makes it more vulnerable to infection by Helicobacter Pylori, a type of bacteria that causes both stomach ulcers and stomach cancer.
Kidney stones & kidney disease
Reducing salt intake has been shown to reduce calcium excretion and reduce reoccurrences of kidney stones, as kidney stones have calcium as their basic constituent.
High blood pressure has been shown to increase the amount of protein in the urine which is a major risk factor for the decline of kidney function, and a high salt intake may increase how quickly kidney disease progresses. In addition, the water retention that occurs with a higher salt diet will increase blood pressure which also increases the risk of kidney disease. People of South Asian and black African descent are at particular risk of kidney disease.
Other effects
A reduction in salt intake may also be beneficial for keeping a number of other conditions under control, such as asthma and Ménière’s disease. Salt reduction is recommended for people with diabetes because keeping blood pressure in the healthy range helps to reduce your risk of the long term complications of diabetes. A high salt diet can also lead to water retention. Many people with water retention, including women with premenstrual water retention, find considerable improvement in their symptoms by reducing their salt intake.
Visit your doctor or nurse to get your blood pressure checked.
Normal blood pressure: 120/80mmHg
