blood pressure vs. salt intake

I question the salt <-> high blood pressure thing. I know it has some validity
but I don't eat salt, never have, am not exactly obese at 6' and 175 lbs, don't
smoke or drink and still have high b/p. I run five miles four times a week and
have had high since my late 40's. The doc told me that heredity has a whole
lot to do with it.

Quoted message said:

I question the salt <-> high blood pressure thing.

Me too! Even when I was very sedentary, overweight, and smoked 3 packs a day,
my BP has always been "picture book perfect", and I eat an INCREDIBLE amount of
salt every day.

Quoted message said:

Me too! Even when I was very sedentary, overweight, and smoked 3 packs a day,
my BP has always been "picture book perfect", and I eat an INCREDIBLE amount
of
salt every day.

P.S. The interesting thing is, that years and years later, after becoming
extremely fit, my BP is still exactly the same as it was when I puffed three
packs a day.

I've read that only 25% of people have BP which is sensitive to salt.

I crave salty foods, eat lots of fatty foods and sugar, and have bp of 90/60
and cholesterol/hdl ratio of 1.8. Heredity plays a big part.

I suspect that you naturally select the foods which give you enough salt,
otherwise, your 4gram salt loss/day would kill you!

If you drink a fair amount when you run, and are still losing 4lbs, then you
should take salt, imo. Definitely if you ever get into the 2-3 hour run
thing.

Normally, peeing alot is the bodies way of fixing the salt balance. If you
overdrink water (lowering the salt concentration), you'll often pee it out.
If you take too much salt, you'll pee out the excess salt, too.

However, schitzophrenics with polydypsia, and hazed frat boys who drink huge
amounts of water, have killed themselves with hyponatremia -- they
overwhelmed the body's mechanisms.

In addition, this mechanism doesn't always work under stressful/dehydrated
conditions, such as a long (5 - 24 hour) race, hence ultra guys eat salty
foods and/or take salt tabs during long runs and races.

-- Dan

"Lee Carkenord" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

.

A common recommendation to help alleviate high blood pressure is to
REDUCE salt intake.

It's also common to see recommendations for runners to INCREASE salt
intake when they sweat a lot while running.

Ok.......so a runner with high blood pressure sweats copiously during
his 6 mile daily fitness run. This guy typically will lose 2 1/2 to
5 pounds of weight (in the summer) during a 6 mile run, and he does
this run 5 or 6 times per week.

The runner is 6 foot 2, male, weighs 159-163, and is 61 years old.

During the day, he will drink between 1 1/2 and 2 gallons of liquid,
mostly water. Yes, he pees a lot. He also feels fine.

So whats the recommendation here? Does he or does he not try to
ingest extra salt to replace that which he loses every day during his
sweaty run.

I see conflicting guidelines here............

Lee Carkenord

Doesn't running lower blood pressure? Mine is about 110 over 80, but
when I'm running a lot, I get some wicked dizzy spells (not while
running), which I attribute to lowered blood pressure. This doesn't
happen when I'm more sedentary. Anybody know anything about this?

"Dan Stumpus" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I've read that only 25% of people have BP which is sensitive to salt.

I crave salty foods, eat lots of fatty foods and sugar, and have bp of 90/60
and cholesterol/hdl ratio of 1.8. Heredity plays a big part.

I suspect that you naturally select the foods which give you enough salt,
otherwise, your 4gram salt loss/day would kill you!

If you drink a fair amount when you run, and are still losing 4lbs, then you
should take salt, imo. Definitely if you ever get into the 2-3 hour run
thing.

Normally, peeing alot is the bodies way of fixing the salt balance. If you
overdrink water (lowering the salt concentration), you'll often pee it out.
If you take too much salt, you'll pee out the excess salt, too.

However, schitzophrenics with polydypsia, and hazed frat boys who drink huge
amounts of water, have killed themselves with hyponatremia -- they
overwhelmed the body's mechanisms.

In addition, this mechanism doesn't always work under stressful/dehydrated
conditions, such as a long (5 - 24 hour) race, hence ultra guys eat salty
foods and/or take salt tabs during long runs and races.

-- Dan

"Lee Carkenord" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

.

A common recommendation to help alleviate high blood pressure is to
REDUCE salt intake.

It's also common to see recommendations for runners to INCREASE salt
intake when they sweat a lot while running.

Ok.......so a runner with high blood pressure sweats copiously during
his 6 mile daily fitness run. This guy typically will lose 2 1/2 to
5 pounds of weight (in the summer) during a 6 mile run, and he does
this run 5 or 6 times per week.

The runner is 6 foot 2, male, weighs 159-163, and is 61 years old.

During the day, he will drink between 1 1/2 and 2 gallons of liquid,
mostly water. Yes, he pees a lot. He also feels fine.

So whats the recommendation here? Does he or does he not try to
ingest extra salt to replace that which he loses every day during his
sweaty run.

I see conflicting guidelines here............

Lee Carkenord

John B. said:

Doesn't running lower blood pressure? Mine is about 110 over 80, but
when I'm running a lot, I get some wicked dizzy spells (not while
running), which I attribute to lowered blood pressure. This doesn't
happen when I'm more sedentary. Anybody know anything about this?

Headrushes? I get them too, but only at times when I'm doing hard
cycling or running. They typically happen sometime in the late morning
after a hard morning workout. When I'm doing millions of easy base
miles I don't get them.

They feel great. I typically reach for a chair or get to my knees so I
can enjoy it without the worry of falling over. I've never actually
passed out, but as the feeling is leaving I feel dream-like, and often
wonder for a second where I am, and how did I get here (not really a
physical "how did I get to this place" but more like, "how did I get to
this point in my life"😉.

He should add Magnesium tablets to his diet ... and replace some of his higher
intensity training ... with good paced walking ...

Quoted message said:

So whats the recommendation here? Does he or does he not try to
ingest extra salt to replace that which he loses every day during his
sweaty run.

I'm 23-yrs old, not overweight, don't smoke/drink, and exercise every
day...my resting heart-rate is 57 yet my BP is 130/91....too high for
my age and condition!! It doesn't run in my family either, but the
high BP doesn't come as a surprise to me because I literally salt just
about everything I eat...from salads to bagels!

It's been a running joke in my family about being a salt fiend, but I
thought I could get away with my high intake for a long time because
of my age and running activity/drinking lots of water...but I GUESS
NOT!

So, I have vowed to cut down the salting of my food and just eat as I
normally would with the extra on it, and see if that helps lower it in
the next few months. Try the same and see how it works for you?

I eat tons of salt, and my bp was 90/65 (just barely alive) last checkup.

I've read that only about 25% of people will have increased bp with salt.

And that for some people salt *decreases* bp, strange as it may seem.

An experiment of one is in order. Figure out how your own bod works...

Also, you may have "doctors office blood pressure". I used to get anxious
when they'd measure me, and my HR and bp would rise. I eventually learned
to relax, and joke around with the nurses, and I get low readings now.

(It probably skyrockets when I leave...)

-- Dan

"lexdece" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So whats the recommendation here? Does he or does he not try to
ingest extra salt to replace that which he loses every day during his
sweaty run.

I'm 23-yrs old, not overweight, don't smoke/drink, and exercise every
day...my resting heart-rate is 57 yet my BP is 130/91....too high for
my age and condition!! It doesn't run in my family either, but the
high BP doesn't come as a surprise to me because I literally salt just
about everything I eat...from salads to bagels!

It's been a running joke in my family about being a salt fiend, but I
thought I could get away with my high intake for a long time because
of my age and running activity/drinking lots of water...but I GUESS
NOT!

So, I have vowed to cut down the salting of my food and just eat as I
normally would with the extra on it, and see if that helps lower it in
the next few months. Try the same and see how it works for you?

You are salt sensetive. I eat salt on everything, and even when I smoked 3
packs a day, didn't exercise, it has always been text book perfect. Table salt
(buy Kosher salt) doesn't effect your BP at all except in rare individuals that
are sensetive to it.

Not everyone is salt sensitive. If a person has high BP, the person to ask
this question to is a physician not a bunch of schmoes on the internet.

"lexdece" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So whats the recommendation here? Does he or does he not try to
ingest extra salt to replace that which he loses every day during his
sweaty run.

I'm 23-yrs old, not overweight, don't smoke/drink, and exercise every
day...my resting heart-rate is 57 yet my BP is 130/91....too high for
my age and condition!! It doesn't run in my family either, but the
high BP doesn't come as a surprise to me because I literally salt just
about everything I eat...from salads to bagels!

It's been a running joke in my family about being a salt fiend, but I
thought I could get away with my high intake for a long time because
of my age and running activity/drinking lots of water...but I GUESS
NOT!

So, I have vowed to cut down the salting of my food and just eat as I
normally would with the extra on it, and see if that helps lower it in
the next few months. Try the same and see how it works for you?