How to improve heart health
• Cardiovascular studies have shown that using salt substitutes can improve heart health.
• But heart experts also point out that the study's results don't necessarily apply to everyone because of different diets and higher amounts of processed foods.
• Cardiologists recommend eating more fruits and vegetables as a way to reduce sodium intake without using salt substitutes.
Switching from table salt to salt substitutes may help reduce stroke risk in people over 60 with a history of high blood pressure or a previous stroke. Source: http://vietherbal.com/
That's according to a study published in the journal Modern Medicine.
The study was based on nearly 21,000 participants and took place in 600 villages in rural areas of five provinces in China.
About 72% of study participants had a history of stroke and 88% had a history of high blood pressure.
Participants were given free salt substitutes (about 75% sodium chloride and 25% potassium chloride) to replace common salt and were advised to use it for all dishes, condiments and preserves. food management.
They were also encouraged to use salt substitutes less often than they had previously used salt to maximize their sodium reduction.
Sufficient salt substitutes were provided to meet the needs of the entire household (about 20 grams per person per day).
Participants in other villages continued their usual cooking and eating habits.
The project is supported by the US National Health and Medical Research Council.
“This study provides clear evidence of an intervention that can be implemented very quickly and at a very low cost… studies have shown it to be effective and these are benefits for the center alone. country. As confirmed by the lead investigator on the study and professors at the Institute of Global Health in Sydney, Australia, said in a press release.
How relevant is the research?
One big question from this study is whether it can be applied anywhere and in countries other than China.
Cardiologists say: “Although I wish I could say yes, it is more realistic to say maybe no.
The researchers also note that because the study looked at high-risk populations, the findings may not carry over to other populations (for example, people without high blood pressure and without previous stroke).
This is also a study of a unique genetic/cultural group with specific eating habits/patterns and may not translate to other populations.
The biggest barrier to reducing sodium intake in the US is that much of our sodium intake is not within our control.
“In rural China, most meals are cooked from scratch, so sodium intake is within the control of the food processor. Americans consume more processed and processed foods – and a lot of them provide a lot of sodium even before we pick up the salt shaker,” the doctors explained.
Sodium can also lurk almost anywhere, she says.
For example, a plain bagel can contribute 450 milligrams of sodium, even before you put anything on it. The maximum recommended sodium intake is 2,300 milligrams per day, so a bagel is about 20% of the all-day sodium intake.
"Salt substitutes won't help you much there," says the cardiologists.
“Ultimately, baseline salt consumption is very high (assuming 20 grams of salt per person per day), so the effect seen may not translate to people consuming less salt initially,” she says. more.
Nutritionists at Nutritionist have explained that in theory, a salt substitute should improve cardiovascular risk as it will certainly improve high blood pressure, but it comes with a price.
“Potassium chloride replacement is a problem. As we age, our kidney function naturally slows down. We measure kidney function by glomerular filtration rate, or corrected glomerular filtration rate.
“The kidney is our filter. So, the natural aging process will slow down kidney function, and the introduction of potassium directly into foods as a spice will negatively affect this,” assert the nutritionists. You may be interested: http://novaco.vn/
What to eat for good heart?
Ultimately, cardiologists say, the answer is not figuring out how to control the sodium content of what we normally eat, but changing what we eat.
According to nutritionists: “We never recommend those salt substitutes but instead use natural herbs, both dried and fresh, to enhance the flavor of foods.
Cardiologists have interpreted such a change as an adjustment of the palate.
Because we are used to foods that are high in salt and use salt and other high salt seasonings, such as soy sauce, sweet and salty sauces, and all the different types of black salt and himalaya salt that are now popular. variable, it may take weeks or months to make this adjustment.
An easy way to reduce sodium in our diet is by purposefully adding foods that are naturally sodium-free, including all fruits and vegetables, say nutritionists. fresh. "This helps to naturally remove items with a higher sodium content."
They explained that eating a piece of fruit before lunch or dinner, for example, could be a way to help reduce sodium intake while increasing absorption of many beneficial nutrients, including potassium.
"Adding fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables while reducing sodium intake has been shown to be as effective as adding a blood pressure-lowering medication," as stated by nutritionists.
While it took some time to make the switch and see the benefits, they also said the positives were clear.
The nutritionists also note: “Less bloating, reduced water retention, easier weight loss due to not being stimulated by salt, and most importantly, a (rapid) decrease in blood pressure in salt-sensitive individuals. .