World Salt Reduction Week丨52-year-old woman caught because of "salt"! Experts: This eating habit is very dangerous

Can eating salt be dangerous? Recently, Ms. Xie from Loudi, Hunan, was rushed to the hospital for treatment due to severe dizziness caused by "heavy taste".

Ms. Xie, 52, has always been in good health, but she has never paid attention to her blood pressure and has maintained a daily diet of pickles and "heavy flavors" for many years.

One month ago, Ms. Xie suddenly suffered from severe dizziness and was sent to the fourth ward of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine of Mawangdui Campus of Hunan Provincial People's Hospital by her family. After admission, it was found that her blood pressure was alarmingly high, with systolic pressure of 220mmHg and diastolic pressure of 110mmHg, and she was diagnosed with hypertension.

This made Ms. Xie very confused. How did she get high blood pressure? After asking about her condition in detail, the doctor found that Ms. Xie had a heavy taste, couldn't do without pickles at every meal, and liked to add more salt in her daily cooking. Long-term high-salt diet was the "accomplice" of her illness.

Under the guidance of the doctor, Ms. Xie started a low-salt diet, combined with proper exercise and a regular work and rest schedule. Currently, her blood pressure is under control and the symptoms of dizziness have been alleviated.

March 14 to March 20 this year is World Salt Reduction Week. Dong Bo, chief physician of the Fourth Cardiology Department of Hunan Provincial People's Hospital , said that salt plays an important role in maintaining normal physiological functions of the human body, but once excessive, it will bring health risks.

When you take in too much salt, like Ms. Xie, a large amount of sodium ions enter the human body. On the one hand, in order to balance the osmotic pressure of the blood crystals, the body will retain more water, increase blood volume, and put more pressure on the blood vessel walls, just like constantly blowing up a balloon, the pressure on the balloon wall is getting greater and greater. On the other hand, high salt levels can cause the vascular smooth muscle cells to swell, narrowing the blood vessel lumen, increasing peripheral resistance, and naturally raising blood pressure.

"Hypertension may seem like just an increase in blood pressure numbers, but it is actually extremely harmful." Chief Physician Dong Bo said that long-term high blood pressure can damage the heart, increase the risk of coronary heart disease and heart failure; damage the brain, cause cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction, affect the kidneys, cause renal dysfunction or even renal failure; damage the eyes, cause fundus lesions, and even lead to blindness. If high blood pressure like Ms. Xie's is not controlled, her health will be seriously affected.

For high blood pressure, prevention is better than cure. And limiting salt intake is a key step in preventing high blood pressure. The World Health Organization recommends that adults should not consume more than 5 grams of salt per day, but most people actually consume far more than that.

To achieve scientific salt reduction, Chief Physician Dong Bo suggested that when cooking, you can use a quantitative salt spoon to control the amount of salt, and you can use natural condiments such as onions, ginger, garlic, vinegar, etc. to replace salt to reduce dependence on salt. It is also necessary to accurately identify "invisible" salt and reduce the consumption of high-salt processed foods such as pickles and pickled products. For patients who have already suffered from hypertension, in addition to strictly controlling salt intake, they also need to follow the doctor's treatment plan, take medication on time, and monitor blood pressure regularly.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Xie Piao, Department 4, Cardiovascular Medicine Department, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital

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(Edited by YT)