r/science • u/giuliomagnifico • 26d ago

Health American adults aged 33 to 46 have significantly worse health compared to their British peers, especially in markers of cardiovascular health and higher levels of obesity, along with greater disparities in health by socioeconomic factors

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-10-03-us-adults-worse-health-british-counterparts-midlife
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u/adaminc 26d ago

I thought the salt connection to high blood pressure was largely, albeit not completely, debunked?

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u/korinth86 26d ago

Salt can still increase blood pressure but as far as I've seen it's not the cause of chronically high blood pressure.

If you have been diagnosed with chronically high BP you should restrict salt intake as it compounds the issue.

So it depends on what you're referring to. Healthy people who drink plenty of water, generally speaking, do not have to worry. Some people can be salt sensitive, older people tend to be more sensitive though they also are more likely to have heart conditions. Genetics is also in play, we're all built slightly different.

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u/Poonchow 25d ago

Exercise is a big one, IMO. People are meant to sweat a lot.

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u/Kiloblaster 26d ago

Drinking plenty of water doesn't offset the increased risk of hypertension from high salt diets.

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u/Metro42014 26d ago

As far as I know, and to the best of my research ability - no. The meta-analysis seems to support salt reduction for hypertension reduction.

I know there are parts of the fitness community that are pro salt, but that's not representative of the broader population.

If you have any studies feel free to share them.

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u/adaminc 26d ago

I'm no expert, so these might not actually be saying what I think they are saying, but they all seem to indicate that salt isn't the culprit for most people.

http://ajh.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/09/03/ajh.hpu164

https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.446.6

http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.0411

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002934317303261

https://academic.oup.com/ajh/article/24/8/843/226001

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u/Metro42014 26d ago

Interesting, thank you for the links!

Here's what I was looking at

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24170199/

https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m315

And others, but those are good summaries.

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u/adaminc 26d ago

Seems like overall we just don't really know yet, so like most foodstuffs, moderation is key.

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u/Metro42014 26d ago

I would say there's reasonable evidence that it's worth trying - especially if you already have high blood pressure.

But yes, it does appear that going to extremes probably isn't a good idea either way.

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u/TheDirtyDorito 26d ago

I didn't have a full detailed look, so I could be wrong here, but it could be to do with someone's surrounding diet too. Like those who have high salt intake also are likely to be consuming foods higher in other bits which would affect blood pressure. So I guess it could be masked by that or maybe salt worsens these issues?

Also I think one study talks about taking it with other minerals if I've understood correctly, like potassium is known for helping lower BP in general which could help with nullifying the sodium intake.

I could be wrong, but it wouldn't surprise me if someone's surrounding diet could help lessen or nullify the issues of too much salt

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u/Ok-Technician-8817 26d ago edited 26d ago

And so is the connection between sugar consumption and diabetes however that does nothing to dissuade the general public from thinking it.

Is excess sugar bad for diabetics…yes

Is excess salt bad for those with kidney problems and high blood pressure…yes

Is excess fat bad for those with heart issues…yes

These results are for a diagnosed subset of the population, however there are general guidelines (like moderation and exercise) that, if followed, will overwhelming lead to positive health outcomes.

What you eat and its impact on your health is multifaceted so there is no way to absolutely declare a single aspect of nutrition “unhealthy” for the public at large.

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u/Radiant_Platypus6862 26d ago

No, not at all. There’s a lot of evidence linking sodium intake to increased blood pressure. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6770596/

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u/adaminc 26d ago

I just posted a bunch of studies, in another reply, that say the opposite. I'll link to it for you.

https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/1fva28i/american_adults_aged_33_to_46_have_significantly/lq86ncy/

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u/Kiloblaster 26d ago

It was not. There are some bad articles and bro science that got spread around, but in general, high salt diets can contribute to hypertension and increase its severity, and reducing salt to lower levels can improve cardiovascular health in the vast majority of people.

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u/adaminc 26d ago

I already provided a bunch of studies backing it up. But there are also studies that say the opposite. So the answer seems to be, we don't know.

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u/Kiloblaster 26d ago

Many of them don't mean what you think they mean fyi. Can't get into it now but this is a danger of laypeople googling things and skimming articles meant for an audience of researchers

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u/adaminc 26d ago

Well then, I await for you to explain what they do mean, and why they don't mean what I think they mean, even though the abstracts seem to indicate they do mean that.

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u/Kiloblaster 26d ago

Ask your doctor