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THE TRUTH ABOUT SALT & HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

 Summary (watch video for full content)



Out with the old, in with the TRUTH


For years, as it pertains to high blood pressure and dietary advice, one of the most common recommendations has been to cut back on sodium. However, that recommendation has now been thoroughly debunked in addition to being shown to have possibly caused more harm than good.

  • Salt is composed of two minerals sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl). Table salt (NaCl) contains about 40%sodium and 60% chloride.

  • The prefix for the word salary comes from the word salt because people use to actually get paid in salt.  African explorers use to trade an ounce of salt for an ounce of gold—salt was literally worth its weight in gold. The Latin word for “health” — “salus” — was derived from “sal” (salt).

  • Most of the planet earth is made of salt water, Your body is mostly made up of saltwater when you cry, you cry salt water when you sweat you sweat salt water, and if you have to go to the hospital to get an IV, that as well is salt water.

Where’s the salt?


When most people think about decreasing their salt consumption, they are thinking about the salt shaker on their table. However, that salt shaker makes up a very small percentage as it pertains to our overall salt consumption. Let’s looks at this pie chart. 

  • a 1991 study saw that 77% of sodium intake came from processed foods, while only 5% came from what was added during cooking, and 6% from what was added at the table. 

The Necessity of Sodium


Let’s take a quick look at just some of the biological roles that sodium plays in our bodies, and you will understand precisely why it’s so essential:

  • Sodium is also an electrolyte, which is a substance that carries an electrical charge and conducts electricity when dissolved in water.
  • Sodium powers the electrical system in our cells
  • Sodium is essential for the creation of bodily fluid (blood, amniotic, lymphatic, etc.)
  • Proper blood pressure regulation
  • Transport of nutrients in and out of cells
  • Aids in digestion and production of hydrochloric acid
  • Cell to cell communication
  • Bone formation and strength
  • nerve transmission and muscle contraction
  • Brain to muscle communication
  • The creation of glial cells in your brain, which are responsible for creative thinking and long-term planning.

Flawed Science


  • The ‘eat less salt’ campaign comes from the research done by Lewis Dahl.
  • In the 1950’s, he gave 500 grams of sodium per day to rats. 500 grams of sodium would equate to being almost 50 times the average intake for a human. This study was then used as evidence to prove that sodium causes high blood pressure.
  • Lewis Dahl then follows up that research with another flawed study that claimed to show correlations between populations with a high average salt intake and high blood pressure.
  • It was LATER shown that the study was full of scientific flaws. With a future analysis finding no association between the two variables, instead showed that lower salt consumption increased blood pressure.
  • More fuel to the fire was added to the “eat less salt” movement in 1997 the DASH-sodium study.
  • The improvement was due to the lack of processed foods and not the decrease in sodium consumption. 
  • Here’s the truth, processed foods when taken into the body, will act as a chemical stressor. Increased blood pressure is only one of the many manifestations of that stress.
  • A large part of this caused by an imbalance between the two minerals potassium and sodium, as well as calcium and magnesium.
  • As far as how this imbalance happens is pretty straightforward to explain. Most natural foods such as fruits and veggies already come packed with a ratio of minerals that will be beneficial to your health which about at least 50:1
  • However, when we look at the ratio contained in the SAD, the average ratio is 1:2. This means that for every unit of potassium you take in two units of sodium. This is a recipe for disaster, as the recommended ratio is at least 5:1
  • It is also very crucial to note that, nowhere in nature, can you find such high amounts of sodium without the potassium to balance it out. Except for very few shellfish, no foods in nature have high amounts sodium, with little to no potassium. However, this excessive and unnatural sodium to potassium ratio can be found in man-made processed foods.

Salt and High blood pressure


Ok, so what does the science show as it pertains to salt and high blood pressure?

  • In the NHANES II follow up study, it was shown that consuming less than 2300 mg. (the recommended daily allowance) of sodium per day had significantly higher mortality rates (meaning a higher risk of death) than the subjects consuming 2300 mg. or more sodium per day.
  • An analysis by the Cochrane Review involving a total of 6,250 subjects found no reliable evidence that cutting salt intake reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes or death.
  • Cochrane review 2011: Conclusion: Cutting down on the amount of salt has no clear benefits concerning the likelihood of dying or experiencing cardiovascular disease.


The danger of a low Sodium lifestyle


Now, this is part that I really want to emphasize, because many are working hard to avoid salt, with the belief that they are improving their health, when in fact they may be doing more harm than good. Let’s look at some of the potential dangers of consuming a low sodium diet.

Low sodium has been shown to:

What is the best salt?


So now that we have shown that salt is not the Boogieman let’s close this all out with solutions and recommendation.

First of all, regular processed table salt is better than no salt. But with that being said, table salt does rate the lowest as it pertains to health and quality, and this because although 97% of the salt is Na & Cl the other 3%  are man-made chemicals, such as moisture absorbents and flow agents. The processing also radically alters the structure of the salt. Refined table salt is dried above 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, and this excessive heat changes the natural chemical structure of the salt.

However when it comes to these next choices, not only is it unrefined & higher in quality, but it’s also better for health.

So what are your choices?
  • Sea
  • Pink
  • Grey
  • Red
  • Black
  • Blue
  • Smoked

What you will notice is that none of these salts are naturally white. When you do see pure white salt, it is because it has been processed. Also, these salts mentioned above will also be rich in trace minerals and free of additives.

Summary and recommendations


Don’t believe the hype! It was never the sodium that was increasing your blood pressure, it was the processed foods, in fact, sodium may have been one of the friendliest ingredients in there.

My advice is to eat real whole foods and salt to taste using a natural salt. In fact, you may find yourself eating more veggies because you can now add salt, and that would be a great thing.

Want more help?


If you would like to get help with improving your blood pressure, please be sure to check out our Pressure T subscription, so that we can help get you closer to your goals.

And lastly, please share this video, as it is our job to improve our overall health conditions while ensuring that we create a better and brighter tomorrow for the future generations to come. Our community our responsibility, and with that being said, let’s get it. P.E.A.C.E.

Edward Williams