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Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago found that cutting one teaspoon of salt from your daily diet can lower blood pressure as effectively as some hypertension medications.
“This is the first study to show that people already taking blood pressure medication can further lower their readings by cutting sodium,” said co-author Professor Norrina Allen. “We found that 70% to 75% of participants were likely to see a decrease in blood pressure when they reduced dietary sodium.”
According to World Health Organization data from 2023, one in three adults worldwide has hypertension. People with high blood pressure face higher risks of heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease, and stroke.
A teaspoon of salt contains about 2,300 milligrams of sodium, which is the upper daily limit recommended for people over 14. The American Heart Association recommends a stricter limit: less than 1,500 milligrams per day.
What Scientists Discovered
The researchers enrolled 213 men and women aged 50 to 75. Participants were assigned to eat a high-salt diet for one week and a low-salt diet for another week, switching after seven days.
The high-salt week allowed up to 2,200 mg of sodium per day, while the low-salt week limited intake to about 500 mg. Most participants had normal or mildly elevated blood pressure, and 25% had resistant hypertension.
On the high-salt week, participants ate their usual meals plus two packets of broth containing 1,100 mg of sodium each. During the low-salt week, dietitians provided low-sodium meals.
Results showed blood pressure dropped quickly and significantly on the low-sodium diet — by about 8 mmHg, CNN reported. Allen said this drop is similar to what patients experience on effective blood pressure medications.
“The drop was consistent among people with normal or mildly elevated blood pressure and among those taking medications,” Allen added.
She noted food may taste bland at first when someone switches to a low-sodium diet. After a few weeks, taste buds adapt and previously familiar foods can taste too salty. At the same time, blood pressure often normalizes quickly.
The study’s findings are especially useful because blood pressure drugs can cause side effects such as cough, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, nausea, nervousness, weight changes, and erectile dysfunction. Because reducing sodium is low risk, cutting a teaspoon of salt a day may be a simple way to help lower blood pressure. The study was published in JAMA.
Keeping an Eye on Sneaky Foods
Hypertension is often called a “silent killer” because it usually has no obvious symptoms. The only way to know your blood pressure is to measure it.
Putting down the salt shaker helps, but most people get sodium from sources other than the shaker, noted cardiologist Andrew Freeman. These include foods you might not expect to be salty. “Two slices of bread can contain 400–500 milligrams of sodium; pickles can have a full day’s worth; a bowl of soup can contain several days’ worth,” he said.
He recommends cooking at home to better control sodium intake.
