A teaspoon less of salt helps the medicine go down

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - If you’ve been looking for ways to lower your blood pressure, it’s as simple as cutting out one teaspoon of salt from your diet.

At least that’s what researchers at Northwestern University say they’ve discovered. Their study says cutting out one teaspoon of salt each day can help lower your blood pressure just as much as blood pressure medication.

Researchers say they discovered the benefits of lowering the amount of sodium in a person’s diet were dramatic.

Between 70% and 75% of people studied saw a drop in their blood pressure whether they were already on medicine or not.

A teaspoon of salt is about 2,300 milligrams. That’s the top daily limit for people over 14 years old. However, the American Heart Association recommends a diet with less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day.

Putting down the salt shaker helps, but also watch for salt already in the food you eat. For example, doctors say a pickle has a full day’s worth of salt and a bowl of soup can have several days’ worth of salt in it.

High blood pressure, health officials say, is often called a “silent killer” because there are no symptoms; you have to test for it.

The American Heart Association says nearly half of all Americans live with high blood pressure.

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