Cor Vasa 2011, 53(4-5):257-259 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2011.057

The role of salt in cardiovascular diseases prevention

Zuzana Urbanová^1,*, Milan Šamánek²

¹ Klinika dětského a dorostového lékařství, 1. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy a Všeobecná fakultní nemocnice

² Dětské kardiocentrum, FN Motol, Praha, Česká republika

Current salt intake is markedly higher compared with its actual requirements. The World Health Organization recommends to reduce salt intake in adults to 5 g per day; this value is three times higher in the Czech Republic. Recent studies on salt intake have consistently shown that increased salt intake results in an increased blood pressure with all its repercussions such as increased mortality from stroke, heart failure or myocardial infarction. By contrast, a reduced salt intake in the population leads to a decrease in blood pressure as well as a decrease in mortality from cardiovascular disease. Salt intake reduction can be achieved by decreasing dietary salt intake as up to 80% of our daily salt intake is from food. As salt sensitivity is largely habitual, efforts at preventing the development of salt addiction should be initiated in early childhood.

Keywords: Salt; Hypertension; Prevention

Published: April 1, 2011  Show citation