Patients with High Blood Pressure Crave Salty Food: Study

People with high blood pressure prefer eating salty food, according to a study.

Patients with mild to extreme hypertension are strictly advised to control their sodium intake to prevent heart failure, stroke and cardiac arrest. Experts at the American Society of Hypertension found people with hypertension have increased cravings for sodium-high diets than people with normal blood pressure readings.

The study led by Patricia Villela from the University of Sao Paolo in Brazil involved 118 people of all age groups to assess their inclination for salty food impacted by the blood pressure levels. The participants were divided in four groups- two groups having men and women aged around 30 with or without blood pressure and other two groups had individuals in their 70s with or without high blood pressure, reports the HealthDay.

All subjects were allowed to choose from three types of French breads with varying salt content. The study noted a majority of those suffering from high blood pressure in all age groups chose to eat bread that was most salty than healthy participants. While healthy seniors and youngsters mostly ate medium salted and light salted bread, respectively.

Two weeks later, participants were retested with three breads that did not contain salt, instead, were seasoned with different concentrations of oregano. It was observed that all participants chose breads that were less salty than the ones they were previously offered. The result findings prove that blood pressure patients develop a sudden liking for salty foods due to restricted consumption of sodium in their daily diet. The authors suggest hypertension patients to switch to non-sodium but salty tasting spices like oregano.

"It is important to know that alternative spices could reduce sodium [salt] intake and potentially lower blood pressure, "said William White, current president of the American Society of Hypertension, reports HealthDay.

According to the data by the American Heart Association, most Americans consume about 3,400 milligrams of salt daily, which is more than twice the maximum recommended levels of 1,500 milligrams. Almost 75 percent of the overall salt intake comes from processed food.

However, the experiment did not identify a cause- and-effect relation and authors believe in investigating further.       

The research was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hypertension in New York.