From 145/92 mmHg, my patient reduced his BP to 136/86 mmHg in a week: What did he change in his diet?

We stopped him from adding table salt or having pickled foods, preserves and all kinds of packaged snacks, even pre-prepped meal sachets and canned fish that professionals use for convenience. We insisted all his meals be home-made with fresh ingredients. At the end of a week, his blood pressure had decreased to 136/86 mmHg without any change in medication. This encouraged him to maintain food discipline and the improvement continued consistently over the following month. He even felt less sluggish and regularised his physical activity.

Yes, reducing salt can impact your BP in a week

While it typically takes only one week to see early benefits of limiting sodium, especially by avoiding preserved and processed foods, continued control of sodium is vital for long-term management of high blood pressure and maintaining a healthy heart.

As you consume less sodium, your body retains less water, lowering the total amount of blood flowing through your veins and reducing the amount of pressure on the walls of the veins; thus lowering your blood pressure. Research and clinical observations suggest that some people can lower their blood pressure by approximately 2-5 mmHg within a few days. While this may appear modest, even small reductions in blood pressure can significantly lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease over time.

People with high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease, obesity and a strong family history of high blood pressure may experience larger and/or faster reductions. However, individual results can vary greatly and some people will not notice significant changes after just one week.

Why you must watch anything you add from a bottle or a packet

One major reason people miscalculate their salt intake is because of the hidden sodium in preservatives and processed foods they consume. Pickles, papads, chutneys, sauces, ready-to-eat- heat-and-eat foods, instant noodles and baked goods have high levels of sodium that can elevate your BP even without additional salt being added on the table. For example, just one tablespoon serving of Indian pickle could contain anywhere between 200 and 400 mg of sodium, which represents 10%- 20% of an individual’s recommended daily allowance of sodium.

Processed food manufacturers also add sodium-based preservatives like sodium benzoate, sodium nitrate, monosodium glutamate to prolong the shelf-life of many types of food while surreptitiously causing people to exceed the safe levels of daily salt consumption. Reading nutrition labels, choosing fresh home-cooked meals and using herbs and spices instead of salt for flavour can make a considerable difference.

The salt you need

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), daily salt intake should be under five grams, or about one teaspoon, with most Indians consuming almost double this amount because of pickles, packaged snacks, namkeens and foods prepared at restaurants. Therefore, cutting down or totally eliminating these products can positively affect a person’s sodium intake quickly.

But it is important to understand that blood pressure regulation is influenced not just by salt intake but by multiple factors, including weight, physical activity, stress levels, sleep quality, alcohol intake and overall dietary patterns.

(The author is a senior director, Internal Medicine & Medical Advisor, Max Hospital, Gurugram)