The benefits of reducing salt intake by a teaspoon per day have been revealed.

A teaspoon of salt contains 2,300 milligrams, which is the maximum daily allowance for people over 14 years old recommended by the latest US dietary guidelines, CNN notes. However, the American Heart Association recommends a diet containing less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.

“This is the first study to show that people who are already taking blood pressure medications can lower their blood pressure even further by limiting their sodium intake,” said study co-author Norrina Allen, professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “And regardless of medication use, we found that 70% to 75% of people are likely to see a decrease in their blood pressure if they reduce sodium in their diet.”

High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer” because it has no symptoms—the only way to know if you have it is to get tested for it, CNN highlights. However, according to a 2023 World Health Organization report, hypertension affects 1 in 3 adults worldwide and can lead to heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage and stroke.

Nearly half of all Americans live with high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. About a third of them have “resistant” hypertension, high blood pressure that cannot be treated despite taking three types of medications at the same time. A 2021 study found that men aged 20 to 49 are 70% more likely to have uncontrolled hypertension than women of the same age.

“Most people today eat too much salt because it’s added to almost everything we eat,” says Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular disease prevention and wellness at the National Jewish Health Center in Denver. – A teaspoon of salt may not seem like much. However, added salt appears to have a surprisingly strong effect on blood pressure.”

In the study, published Saturday in JAMA, 213 people ages 50 to 75 were assigned to either a high- or low-sodium diet for one week. After following this diet for seven days, each person then switched to an alternative diet.

About 25% of participants had normal blood pressure, while another 25% had untreated hypertension. Of the remaining group, 20% had their blood pressure under control, while 31% did not.

During the high-salt week, people ate their regular diet along with two bags of broth, each containing 1,100 milligrams of sodium. During the low-salt week, people ate low-sodium foods purchased and given to them by nutritionists. The goal was just to consume 500 milligrams of salt per day, which is a significant reduction.

The drop in blood pressure during a low-sodium diet was rapid and dramatic, according to the study. Compared with the high-sodium diet, blood pressure dropped by 8 millimeters of mercury on the extremely low-salt diet.

“Compared to their normal diet, people lowered their blood pressure by about 6 millimeters of mercury, about the same effect you see with first-line blood pressure medications,” says Norina Allen. “In addition, these reductions occurred quite quickly and were consistent for people with normal blood pressure, mildly elevated blood pressure, or those already taking medications.”

According to the researcher, reducing this amount of salt did not have any significant side effects, other than switching to a softer diet. “When you go from a high-salt diet to a low-salt diet, everything tastes bland,” she said. “I want to encourage people to stick with it because your taste buds will adjust over a couple of weeks or so and you will really get the taste and flavor back and regular foods will taste very salty.” It takes a little longer for the taste buds to adapt, but the improvement in blood pressure happens quite quickly.”

However, blood pressure medications can have many side effects, including cough, constipation or diarrhea, dizziness, lack of energy, headache, muscle pain, nausea, nervousness, fatigue, weight gain or loss, and erection problems. They usually go away over time, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Removing the salt shaker from the table is a good start, “but that’s not where most people get their salt,” said Dr. Andrew Freeman. “You don’t expect foods to have a lot of salt: a couple of slices of bread might have 400 or 500 milligrams of salt; a pickled cucumber has enough salt for a whole day, and a bowl of soup can last for several days,” he says. said.

But careful shopping can do the trick, Allen says.

CNN examined low-salt menus and found that most breakfasts included store-bought instant oats, Greek yogurt and grapes, while lunches included grilled chicken, lettuce dressed with oil and vinegar, and low salt lentil soup, bread, peanut butter and tortilla chips. Dinner included ready-to-eat brown rice with vegetables, burritos and lasagna.

“These were low-sodium versions of vegetable lasagna,” Allen notes. “It was apples, bananas and other products that anyone could buy at the grocery store. They were not specially prepared by the chef.”

The DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Control Hypertension, is an expert-approved method for reducing salt intake, CNN reports. The diet has a simple premise: eat more vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products; limit your intake of foods high in saturated fat; and limit sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams per day, as was done in this study. The meal plan for this diet includes four to six servings of vegetables and another four to six servings of fruits, three servings of whole grains, two to four servings of low-fat or low-fat dairy products and several servings of lean meats and nuts, seeds and legumes each day .

Regardless of which diet plan is chosen, those looking to reduce their salt intake are better off preparing their own foods at home, where they can read labels and calculate sodium levels, Dr. Freeman says. Eating at a restaurant, even if it’s healthy, can be a hassle. “Get a vegetable dish at a restaurant: those green beans may have been cooked with salted butter and salty crispy onions or something else on top. Soon you have a huge dose of salt that was never intended, Freeman said. “The best way to eat is to eat as unprocessed as possible.”