High salt intake linked to hypertension

The intake of too much salt is said to be one of the major causes of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.

According to Professor Sam Dagogo Jack, a renowned Endocrinologist at the University of Tennessee Health Centre in the US, Africans consume too much salt, even though the body requires a little amount of the substance.

He added: “we add salt at the time of cooking, and after the food is served. Basically people do not understand that the body needs a very small amount of salt.”

He explained that Africans have the type of hypertension called volume ‘dependent hypertension’, which is driven by excess salt.

“When somebody eats more salt than the body really needs, the salt increases the osmotic strength of the blood plasma, which now draws water into the blood, so the blood volume expands,” Prof Jack emphasised.

He said when this happens, the heart has to work harder because it has a bigger volume to pump, which can lead to heart failure and high blood pressure.

He has, therefore, advised that not more than one teaspoonful of salt should be used for cooking for the whole day.

He was speaking during the Cardiovascular Summit held in Accra on last Thursday.

The summit, which provided a forum for the advancement of medical knowledge and patient care for participants, was organized by Pfizer Nigeria, Ghana and East Africa Region.

It brought together international, and local healthcare professionals to deliberate on the new and emerging trends in the nature, diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Ghana.

Prof Jack who was the guest speaker at the summit said, “The ravages of hypertension and diabetes on the African continent can be seen daily in the faces of our people who have suffered a stroke or a heart failure or developed kidney failure or lost a leg from amputation.

These dreaded consequences can be avoided by preventing and effectively managing diabetes and hypertension.”

He noted that “we have the knowledge to do both; the question is – do our leaders and society have the awareness and will to harness resources to tame the scourge of hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and stroke in our land?”

In his remarks, Carl Engleman, the Country Manager for Pfizer Nigeria, Ghana and East Africa Region reiterating Pfizer’s continuous commitment to education of physicians and the general public said “as the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, Pfizer is committed to working in partnership with healthcare providers, governments and stakeholders to improve patient care.”

He noted that “the aim of the summit is to improve awareness and management of common cardiovascular risk factors such as raised blood pressure, raised cholesterol, obesity and lifestyle, by stimulating debate, discussion and education.”

He indicated that preventive strategies recommended include control of high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure through the modification of dietary habits and government’s support especially in the discouragement of western dietary habits through its food and health regulatory agencies.