Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.
During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead
Why Listen?
- Get practical tips and science-backed advice you can apply immediately.
- Learn from real-world examples and medical expertise.
- Gain daily challenges to help you stay engaged and track progress.
- Take charge of your heart health in a simple, effective, and engaging way.
Transcript
Hi Dr Warrick here and welcome to day 7. Today we're talking about salt, specifically sodium chloride salt which drives high blood pressure therefore causing problems.
The problem is if we do consume too much salt then that salt means that the body retains more water increasing blood volume therefore raising blood pressure. As we increase the pressure the heart has to work harder and that is wear and tear on the heart but it's also wear and tear on the vasculature and we've talked about that to a large degree already.
That damage to the vasculature leads to plaque formation and even inflammation and heart attack and stroke. Interestingly though excessive salt doesn't just affect the blood vessels directly it also affects the blood vessels via the gut and here's something you may not be aware of that increased salt could actually disrupt the gut microbiome particularly beneficial bacteria like the lactobacillus species.
This disruption to the gut microbiome then exposes the lining of the gut to the contents of the gastrointestinal tract the inside of your gullet and that exposure of the lining cells of the gut gut directly directly to the contents of the gut can lead to what's called leaky gut syndrome. That means that inflammatory molecules within the gut can pass between connectors of the cells lining the intestine and those molecules can get into the bloodstream.
As those molecules get into the bloodstream they can be shipped around the body but can end up in blood vessels of their own leading to inflammation within those blood vessels. The consequence being thickened blood vessels, narrowed blood vessels and you guessed it contributing to raised blood pressure. So when we think about salt as a problem people will say but I don't do much salt on my food and truth be told it's not the salt in your salt shaker that we're concerned about.
It turns out that about 75% of consumed sodium in most people's diets comes from processed foods and this includes things that you may not even be aware of. Things like bread, packaged snacks, canned items, even takeaway meals. So pay attention, look at labels, be aware. We know that reducing sodium by about three grams a day or half a teaspoon can reduce your systolic blood pressure by up to five millimeters of mercury. This is really significant and on a population basis is a huge thing to be considering. So look for low sodium or no added salt.
Even think about sodium chloride replacement salts that perhaps have potassium in there instead or use other flavorings, coriander, turmeric, chili, all of those. Try and just start to cut down where that salt is. Remember it can disrupt the gut microbiome and it's a big driver and one that we should be able to change in our lifestyle on a daily basis.
Tomorrow we talk about sleep and stress, super important when it comes to blood pressure and I'll look forward to speaking with you then. I hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible. Take care and bye for now.
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