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A pinch of salt...
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Reduce the intake of salt, and check out the benefits for yourself
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EVERY YEAR, millions of Indians learn for the first time that they are suffering from hypertension. That is bad news in itself, but for many the advice that they must reduce salt intake is the hardest pill to swallow. Cutting down on salt intake is very difficult to practise. After all, our hunger for salt keeps us alive and is one of our primal human urges.
Salt is the main defender of blood volume, and, over the ages, mammals have evolved taste buds and a deep sensitivity for this mineral.
Camels in the desert know just which rocks to lick for salt, moose linger near highways to eat grass salted by sprinklers that keep roads snow-free in winter, and it is really true that "no one can eat just one" when it comes to salted snacks. No wonder, we don't like it when told to eat less salt.
Although the causes of hypertension are many, there is little doubt that salt plays a role in the disease. Surprisingly, this is not new information.
Nei Ching, a Chinese text from the first millennium B.C., mentions that eating too much salt can cause a "hard pulse". In the 20th Century, research showed that the kidneys of hypertensive patients were marginally poorer at handling a salt load at normal blood pressure. And, one of the most common remedies for hypertension is salt-loss promoting pills-diuretics.
All this brings us to the salt debate. There is no doubt that we are eating way more salt than our ancestors did. Human breast milk is still very low in salt and points to the fact that our exposure to a high salt diet is fairly recent.
The present average daily consumption of several grams of salt is many times over what the body needs, and all available evidence suggests that reducing this intake is beneficial. But how much reduction is necessary?
Research suggests that reducing intake to three gm or so can lower blood pressure by around 5 mm Hg. This is a modest benefit, but it can make the difference between mild hypertension and normal blood pressure.
This level of blood pressure reduction may also reduce the risk of getting a stroke, another deadly fruit of hypertension.
In daily life, ensuring compliance with a low-salt diet requires the cooperation of family members and friends. Add salt at the table and not during cooking.
Cut out dried and salted fish, cured meats, pickles and salted snacks. Substitute tamarind, lime or potassium chloride (under medical supervision) for salt whenever possible.
Salt craving can be as intense as craving for one's favourite food while on a diet, but the good news is that it fades away after two or three months.
RAJIV M.
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