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Salt reduction can effectively treat high blood pressure

Category: Kidney Diseases

A kidney test that shows the organ is diseased often opens the door to many other health problems for that patient. Many individuals who have kidney diseases have a hard time controlling their blood pressure which can lead to a host of heart health issues.

However, a new analysis in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology says that blood pressure can be easily controlled in those with kidney disease by simply restricting salt intake. This reduces the amount of excess fluid in the kidneys, a common problem that can elevate blood pressure.

Dr Rajiv Argawal, who wrote the analysis, said that most treatments use drugs to lower blood pressure which doesn't address the underlying cause of the condition, and that focusing on diet may have better overall results.

"Medication-directed approaches for blood pressure control should be a secondary consideration to manipulating the diet and dialysis prescription in order to achieve dry-weight," Argawal said.

Reducing salt intake is becoming an easier option, as the Food and Drug Administration is planning to impose legal limits on the amount of sodium allowed in processed food.