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Old 07-12-2008, 08:57 AM   #1  
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Default Oh no to restricted salt!!!

I am 28 and have had high blood pressure for as long as I can remember. I run, I am VERY active, according to my MD, due to my body fat percentage (18%) I am not considered overweight (still want to lose from lower body.)

I moved and went to a new MD in VA. She suggested I go on a restricted sodium diet. I was hopeful, but after this, my systolic bp dropped only 11 pts and my diastolic 3 which still left it a bit high.

Now a new article in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that people on a restricted sodium diet have an 80% greater chance of dying of heart disease over those not on restricted sodium diets. THey aren't saying that low sodium diets CAUSE the problem, but there is a correlation.

It was recommended I cut my intake down to 1500mg but the reviewers of this article are recommending 6000mg.

It is JUST one article but it's good to keep a look out incase it is verified more frequently from here on out.
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Old 07-12-2008, 09:38 AM   #2  
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Go tour a dialysis center - high blood pressure causes more than 30% of kidney failure. My husband was on dialysis due to a drug he had to take that caused kidney disease. 6000 is nearly 3 times the recommended amount from the heart association for healthy people. You can't just read one article and make an intelligent decision. At your age I'd be very concerned for having had high blood pressure for so long. The DASH diet is great. I actually ate just as my husband and his diet had 0 sodium. Please do what your doctor suggests. How long were you on the diet? It takes months for the full effect.
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Old 07-12-2008, 09:50 AM   #3  
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I would recommend going to google, switching it to Scholar mode and do a search on that study or others like it. I once read an article that in a journal that seemed unreal. When I actually read the study I found out it was conducted on 5 people. After that I don't trust anything now untill I look at what they actually did.
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Old 07-12-2008, 02:05 PM   #4  
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That just goes against all common sense---6000 mg!!! Oy!
Your kidneys have to work hard to keep the sodium and chloride in your body at a constant normal level.
There's alot of "conspiracy theory" stuff on the internet. Sadly, some people believe it
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Old 07-12-2008, 05:10 PM   #5  
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Don't get me wrong... as stated above, I said that they didn't put a causative explanation onto low sodium, just a correlation. Furthermore, studies done previously have stated the same dating back to before 2006 (7,154 participants in one study in those who restricted their sodium to under 2300 mg).

However, this article is from the new edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. That is the journal of that medical specialty. I'm not telling everyone to dump their low sodium diet...

I'm just saying look out for this in future articles ... it is good to be aware of such things so you can keep tabs on it. This is a reputable journal used extensively even in the cancer hospital where I was in medical research (research assistant)for 3 years.

I'm not one to google terms. I only take info from pubmed (which houses the reputable scientific journals out there today)

Beside, everyone knows that the leading cause of hypertension is idiopathic. Less than 20% benefit from lowering sodium (for high blood pressure, not for overall body health) and that is thought to be genetic.

Last edited by MalibuBeachBound; 07-12-2008 at 05:20 PM.
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Old 07-13-2008, 05:07 AM   #6  
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Malibu, I am 49 and have been on blood pressure meds since June of this year and I have reduced my sodium intake and increased my exercise. I am not a "runner", but I do complete about 4 miles a day on the treadmill or through some time of aerobic workout.

My BP went from a dangerous 197/95 to a 116/70! I have lost 20 pounds!

"Leading cause of hypertention is IDIOPATHIC" ??? I think that there are plenty leading medical journals that will agree that there are found leading causes of high BP - ie. genetic, diet , etc

Perhaps your HP is not true HP and it is just a result of something else going on in your body.

All I know is that w/meds mine has gone tremendously and I hope to be off my meds by next summer - if not before!

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Old 07-13-2008, 10:00 AM   #7  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sgibson1626 View Post
Malibu, I am 49 and have been on blood pressure meds since June of this year and I have reduced my sodium intake and increased my exercise. I am not a "runner", but I do complete about 4 miles a day on the treadmill or through some time of aerobic workout.

My BP went from a dangerous 197/95 to a 116/70! I have lost 20 pounds!

"Leading cause of hypertention is IDIOPATHIC" ??? I think that there are plenty leading medical journals that will agree that there are found leading causes of high BP - ie. genetic, diet , etc

Perhaps your HP is not true HP and it is just a result of something else going on in your body.

All I know is that w/meds mine has gone tremendously and I hope to be off my meds by next summer - if not before!
Sgibson... Losing weight is the largest component for bringing down high blood pressure...and sodium has been shown to help in 20% of the population. I didn't conduct the study...but it IS a study in a reputable journal.

All I am saying is it is good to look out for more research. Sodium sensitivity is what causes hypertension in SOME people, but not all.

However, fact is check with any MD, the leading cause is idiopathic (they beat that into us.) Though they know genetics plays a role, they haven't isolated a specific "high blood pressure gene."

Sorry to beat this in, but this is the honest to God truth... the leading cause is idiopathic. I have my MS in physiology... 5 years in medical research and currently in dental school.

I just took a pathology class taught completely by MDs through the university.

It is a FACT THAT THE LEADING CAUSE OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE IS IDIOPATHIC! Matter of fact, 95% of cases are (primary hypertension)... the other 5% are attributed to different diseases, hormone production levels etc.

I don't want to come across as a know it all and I wasn't going to mention my education or that class, but I thought it would probably be good for everyone to know that the technical cause is unknown.

That said, I'm still on restricted Na, but my skeptical nature doesn't allow me to push this by the wayside. I will be on the look out for more studies... as everyone here should be.

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Old 07-13-2008, 10:14 AM   #8  
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Malibu - I heard Dr. Dean Odell talk about this very thing on the radio. It was about 6 months ago. He was saying that sodium sensitivity varies greatly from person to person. Some people will have extreme BP problems if they eat a high sodium diet, and their BP will drop when sodium is reduced. But he said it's not so simple and simply not true for many people. I found it interesting too because it was the total opposite of what I have heard my entire life. My father has had high BP for as long as I can remember, and he's been on low sodium diet and BP meds for as long as I can remember too. Last night I had dinner at my mom and dad's - I had brought some feta for the salad I made and told them to keep the rest. They both refused because feta is too salty for dad to eat (he ate his salad without).

Have you personally considered BP meds to help lower yours?
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Old 07-13-2008, 02:20 PM   #9  
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Thanks walking. That was exactly my point...

and to make others aware not to drop the low sodium diet, but just to be aware that there is conflicting data out there in case it happens that there actually is an increase in heart related deaths correlated with the Na restriction.

As for me, BP meds are my next step. My blood pressure was normal at some ages but at others it was increased. Now I have been monitoring it myself for 2 yrs and when all options are exhausted, BP meds will be the move.


I know enough through my education to know that the leading cause (95%) is still idiopathic too. I think it's good that people know this who aren't in the medical field.

Thanks for your response.

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Old 07-13-2008, 02:27 PM   #10  
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I found it interesting and very enlightening when I heard it too. Odell certainly wasn't advocating the idea that people should go hog wild on salt, nor are you, but he was simply explaining that sodium sensitivity varies greatly in different people. It is new information, and it's hard to take in something that is so contrary to what we've always been taught.

Good luck with your own situation... it sounds like you are handling it very responsibly and will make the right decision for your health. Meds sound like they may be the right choice. Keep up the good work with the exercise and healthy eating too!
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Old 07-13-2008, 02:50 PM   #11  
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LOL... Thanks for not going off on me.

I honestly would never post anything on a forum if I didn't have at least some evidence of truth behind it.

Good luck to you!
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Old 07-13-2008, 09:10 PM   #12  
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Are you/have you been on hormonal birth control?
Maybe a possibility?
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Old 07-13-2008, 09:34 PM   #13  
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Here's a link to a story that says the opposite:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0419200141.htm

If there's one thing I've learned since I've been on the internet, you can read one study/story and there will be another one that claims the exact opposite.

Here's a link to the first story:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0515171020.htm

I find this part interesting: "Since NHANES III was an observational study and not a clinical trial, no definite conclusions about cause and effect were possible, says Dr. Cohen"

So, there you go...who knows????????????
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Old 07-13-2008, 09:45 PM   #14  
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Oh, I just found this also. Maybe increased potassium,calcium and magnesium help to lower blood pressure?????

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0708104525.htm
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Old 07-13-2008, 09:46 PM   #15  
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My blood pressure was so high in March that my gyn switched my birth control pills immediately to a mini-pill (they don't increase bp). I tracked my food for the next couple MONTHS, only going over 2,000mg on occasion with most days actually being below 1500mg. I was also consistenly exercising at least 5 days a week, and I lost about 25 pounds.

My blood pressure was actually HIGHER after all of that

So who knows. I'm hoping mine will resolve itself after WLS as it has for most WLS patients who have undergone the procedure I'm hoping to have.
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