Less Salt = Lower Blood Pressure — Even If You're on Medicine
Effect of Dietary Sodium on Blood Pressure: A Crossover Trial.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study tested what happens when people eat very little salt for a week versus a lot of salt. It found that cutting salt made most people’s blood pressure drop — even if they already had high blood pressure or were taking medicine for it.
Surprising Findings
73.4% of participants saw a meaningful BP drop from low sodium—even those with normal blood pressure.
Most assume only hypertensives benefit from salt reduction. This shows even healthy middle-aged and elderly people with normal BP get a clinically significant drop—meaning salt may be quietly harming everyone.
Practical Takeaways
Try reducing added salt for one week—avoid processed foods, canned soups, and sauces—and monitor your BP if you have a home monitor.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study tested what happens when people eat very little salt for a week versus a lot of salt. It found that cutting salt made most people’s blood pressure drop — even if they already had high blood pressure or were taking medicine for it.
Surprising Findings
73.4% of participants saw a meaningful BP drop from low sodium—even those with normal blood pressure.
Most assume only hypertensives benefit from salt reduction. This shows even healthy middle-aged and elderly people with normal BP get a clinically significant drop—meaning salt may be quietly harming everyone.
Practical Takeaways
Try reducing added salt for one week—avoid processed foods, canned soups, and sauces—and monitor your BP if you have a home monitor.
Publication
Journal
JAMA
Year
2023
Authors
D. K. Gupta, Cora E Lewis, K. Varady, Yanru Su, Meenakshi Madhur, Daniel T. Lackland, Jared P. Reis, Thomas J. Wang, D. Lloyd-Jones, N. Allen
Related Content
Claims (7)
Sodium intake increases plasma volume through osmotic water retention, leading to higher blood pressure due to increased fluid in a closed circulatory system.
Taking blood pressure pills doesn’t stop salt reduction from helping — it still lowers BP just as much in people on meds as in those who aren’t.
Cutting back on salt for just one week lowers blood pressure by about 8 points in most people over 50, even if they’re already taking blood pressure medicine — and it works just as well whether they have high blood pressure or not.
Most people over 50 — even those with normal blood pressure or on blood pressure pills — see their blood pressure drop when they eat less salt.
The usual way to define who benefits from eating less salt misses more than half of people who still get a meaningful drop in blood pressure — so the definition is too strict.