Salt Intake May Damage Blood Vessels

Previously, numerous studies have shown that increased sodium in the diet, in the form of salt, associates with an elevation in blood pressure (hypertension). John P. Forman, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues tracked the sodium intake of 5,556 men and women from the general population of Groningen, Netherlands. The researchers found that a diet high in salt consumed for several years not only increased blood pressure, but damaged blood vessels – a condition known as endothelial dysfunction.  Warning that: “Over time, higher sodium intake is associated with increases in [serum uric acid (SUA) and urine albumin excretion (UAE)],” the study authors conclude that: “a higher sodium intake is an independent risk factor for developing hypertension.”