Including variety and quality products in what we eat and drink is one of the main steps to have good health, always accompanied by an active lifephysical exercise and the necessary hours of rest.
In the feedingexperts recommend prioritizing the intake of vegetables and fruits, without forgetting fish, white meat, legumes, vegetables, nuts and water appropriate for each age and weight, among other nutrients.
However, in addition to what we eat, it also matters how we consume itsince there are foods that are more beneficial when taken raw or boiled, and others worsen their impact on our health if, for example, we fry them. Another of the mistakes that are usually made and that can put our well-being at risk is abuse salt in our meals.
This condiment, composed mainly of sodium, allows many of the foods we eat to have more flavor by salting them. However, overusing salt in what we eat or eating foods that already have a lot of salt added, sometimes without being aware of it, can negatively affect our health. In fact, many processed foods common in the diet of a large part of the population contain high salt content.
From the World Health Organization (WHO)it is recommended that an adult intake less than 2000 micrograms of sodium per day, which is equivalent to less than five grams of salt per daya little less than a small spoonful. This same organization states that the majority of population groups exceed these recommendations, with the global average intake being 4310 mg/day (which is equivalent to 10.78 g/day of salt), doubling the recommended dose.
How does taking a lot of salt daily affect your health and heart?
That a person eats a diet high in sodium, that is, one that includes a lot of salt or foods with a high content of salt in their daily lives, mainly causes increased blood pressurein addition to increasing the chances of having gastric cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, Ménière’s syndrome and kidney diseases. According to the WHO, it is estimated that 1.89 million deaths per year are associated with excessive sodium consumption.
Considering the main damage that a high-salt diet does to people, the increase in blood pressure, we find several negative effects on the heart. As explained by Manuel Anguita, cardiologist at the Reina Sofía Hospital in Córdoba, and spokesperson and former president of the Spanish Society of Cardiology, salt increases the vasoconstrictor tone of the smooth muscle cells of the arterial wall. In turn, it increases the osmolarity of plasma in the blood, favoring fluid retention and more blood volume in the vessels, something that also increases arterial pressure.
From the Pan American Health Organizationit is indicated that high blood pressure “contributes to at least 40% of all heart disease and strokewhich in turn represent 45% of non-communicable diseases.
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