By now we all know that a good heart function is one of the most important aspects of general health, which is also related to the prevention of fatal diseases and longevity. It is no secret to say that good heart health is directly related to lifestyle and diet, although there are several recommendations, one of the main ones is to avoid sodium consumption. Recently, a study led by renowned scientists from Harvard University, showed that an exceptional tool to reduce the risk of heart disease is to consume less salt and increase the intake of foods rich in potassium.
The heart acts as a pump that propels blood to the organs, tissues, and cells of the body . The blood pumped by the heart supplies oxygen and nutrients to each cell and collects carbon dioxide and waste substances produced by those cells. When blood flow to the heart slows or stops or the rhythm of the heart is altered, it could be life threatening. In simpler words, the heart can work like a car engine, meaning the way it is treated will determine how long it will work and in what way.
So after reading this, you may want to put down your salt shaker and eat a banana. According to the study’s first author Yuan Ma, an epidemiology scientist at Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health; there are previous observational studies that talk about salt intake and heart health. This recent study, with the participation of more than 10,000 adults, comes to affirm with force what has been said in recent years about salt intake and cardiovascular health. In addition, it adds a new element to consider in prevention: the benefits of potassium consumption for cardiovascular health.
According to the Harvard press release: “Our study combined high-quality individual participant data from six cohort studies in which sodium was measured by the most reliable method today, namely multiple urine samples from 24 hours. Our results should help clarify the role of sodium in cardiovascular disease, that lower intake is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in most populations, including in the US.” The findings of this study were presented last Sunday at the American Heart Association’s annual online meeting and were also published concurrently in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Sodium is one of the components of table salt and it is found naturally in some foods. However, the biggest problem is related to the exorbitant amounts that are added to processed, packaged and commercially prepared foods. It is well known that a diet rich in ultra-processed foods is one of the main enemies of cardiovascular health and is often directly related to hypertension.
For its part, just as it is essential to avoid sodium consumption, the recommendation to enjoy a strong heart and cardiovascular health is to increase your intake of potassium. This is a very important mineral for the functioning of the body and is found naturally in fruits (such as bananas), green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, dairy products and starchy vegetables. According to the researchers, it is recommended, as it has the opposite effect to sodium : it helps relax blood vessels and increases sodium excretion, all while lowering blood pressure.
In this new study, the researchers conducted a pooled analysis of data from six main studies : the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the Nurses ‘Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II, the Health Professionals Study. prevention of stage D renal and vascular disease, and follow-up studies of Hypertension Prevention Trials. In turn, they analyzed individual sodium and potassium excretion data, as well as the incidence of heart disease, including coronary heart disease (which includes heart attacks) and strokes.
The data was obtained from multiple 24-hour urine samples, which the researchers say is the most reliable method of assessing a person’s sodium intake. These samples were taken from more than 10,000 generally healthy adults with a follow-up study of cardiovascular events for an average of almost nine years. After documenting 571 strokes, heart attacks, and other cardiac “events” in the data, the Harvard team concluded that higher salt intake was significantly associated with increased cardiac risk in a dose-response fashion with a daily intake of sodium that ranged from about 2,000 milligrams (mg) in some people to more than 6,000 mg in others.
The current US Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day , which is about 1 teaspoon of table salt. The new study found that for every 1,000 mg per day of increased sodium intake, a person’s risk of heart disease increased by 18%. In contrast, for every 1000mg per day increase in potassium intake, the risk of heart disease was 18% lower. Therefore, a higher sodium to potassium ratio was significantly associated with increased cardiovascular risk, the team concluded.
Remarks about the study’s findings were joined by Frank Hu, Fredrick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology, who is also chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School and lead author of the paper. “This study underscores the importance of using a reliable biomarker to measure habitual sodium intake and assess its relationship with cardiovascular risk .” Finally, these kinds of discoveries come to provide further support for public health strategies, including regulations, food labeling, and the promotion of healthy dietary patterns to reduce sodium intake and increase potassium intake.
One of the most relevant aspects is that the study was so interesting that other experts spoke about it. For example, Sharon Zarabi is a registered dietitian and program director at Northwell Health’s Katz Institute for Women’s Health in New York City. Reading the new findings, she said the new study offers gold standard evidence of the harms of excess salt in the diet.
Best of all, the urine tests used in the new research are available to everyone. According to Zarabi: “These are easy tests that we can do in any office and by showing numbers, metrics and data to individual patients, we can be better equipped to change behavior.” In addition, people do not even have to sacrifice for the taste of food: today we have numerous references where it has been confirmed that we can improve the taste of food with low sodium alternatives, the use of herbs and spices.
In fact, it is no coincidence that the US Food and Drug Administration has recently been more emphatic in calling on the food industry to gradually reduce sodium in commercially produced foods over the next two and a half years. .