Cutting back on salt helps lower blood pressure, and this works just as well whether you do it for a few weeks or up to a year—only a tiny bit less after a long time.

66

Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

66

Community contributions welcome

66

Blood Pressure Effects of Sodium Reduction

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Human

2021 Apr 20

This study looked at many experiments where people ate less salt and found that their blood pressure went down — no matter if they did it for a few weeks or over a year. So yes, cutting salt helps lower blood pressure for the long term.

Contradicting (0)

0

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Blood Pressure Effects of Sodium Reduction

Score: 66

DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.050371

Similar Assertions

If you cut salt for just a week or two, your blood pressure doesn’t drop as much as it will if you keep it low for a month or more—it takes time for the full effect to show up.

73

0

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Different studies say reducing salt lowers blood pressure by wildly different amounts—some say almost nothing, others say a bit more—so we’re really not sure how much of an effect salt really has.

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85%

Even if your blood pressure is normal, cutting back on salt still helps lower it a little—which could help prevent high blood pressure as you get older.

73

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Cutting down on salt helps lower your blood pressure, even if you're already taking medicine for high blood pressure — so salt reduction adds extra benefit on top of your meds.

66

0

84%

Cutting down on salt lowers blood pressure more for people who already have high blood pressure than for those with normal blood pressure—about 2.5 times more.

66

0

83%