Salt and my health

As a hypertensive patient, I have been instructed on the dangers of excessive salt in my diet. Kindly let me know how much salt I need to consume on a daily basis.

Naomi (by Email)

A teaspoon of salt is the amount of sodium that experts recommend that people consume a day. Yet salt consumption is often higher than the recommended amount. The latest evidence about the effect of salt on cardiovascular health has shown a reduction in consumption associated with lower blood pressure. According to the studies, with a 14% reduction in stroke and 12% decrease in death, the simple intervention of salt substitution could significantly improve secondary prevention of stroke and cardiovascular health on a global scale. It is however believed that table salt is not the biggest problem, since 70% of dietary sodium comes from eating packaged and prepared foods.

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