Salt intake, high blood pressure and heart risk
What it found
Eating a lot of salt is linked to higher blood pressure, and cutting back lowers blood pressure, especially in people who already have high blood pressure.
About 50 to 60 percent of people with high blood pressure are salt sensitive.
What they found
Studies in people
Salt and blood pressure
High salt intake is linked to a greater risk of high blood pressure. Cutting back on salt lowers blood pressure, with a bigger drop in people who already have high blood pressure and a smaller drop in those with normal blood pressure.
Salt sensitivity
Not everyone's blood pressure reacts to salt changes. About 50 to 60 percent of people with high blood pressure are salt sensitive. Salt sensitivity is more common with aging, in black people, and in people with metabolic syndrome or obesity.
Other health links
High salt intake or a preference for salty food is discussed as being linked to stomach cancer and probably also to obesity risk.
How much salt
Most countries have an estimated daily salt intake of about 9 to 12 grams. The WHO recommends less than 5 grams of salt per day. A moderate reduction to 5 to 6 grams a day can reduce illness rates.
Potassium and blood pressure
Several studies have shown that diets rich in potassium, or potassium supplements, can lower blood pressure, especially in people with high blood pressure.
Other findings
Measuring salt intake
The gold standard for measuring salt intake is analyzing sodium in 24-hour urine. Spot urine samples are an alternative. Food diaries can be limited because the salt content of many foods is not precisely known.
What the authors conclude
“According to recent research results a moderate reduction of daily salt intake from current intakes to 5-6 g can reduce morbidity rates.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that a moderate reduction of daily salt intake from current intakes to 5-6 g can reduce morbidity rates.
- They advise that salt intake should not exceed 5 g/day according to WHO recommendations, and no more than 1.5 g sodium/day in blacks, middle- and older-aged persons, and individuals with hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease.
- They recommend increasing potassium intake to about 4.7 g/day, limiting alcohol, and doing regular physical activity.
How it was done
The authors wanted to review how salt intake affects the development and treatment of high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for stroke, other heart problems and kidney disease.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This is a review of other studies, so it cannot prove that salt directly causes high blood pressure or other health problems.
- It cannot show how much salt any one person should eat, or whether salt reduction will help a specific individual.
- It cannot show whether the links to stomach cancer or obesity are cause and effect.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Vienna, Austria; Medical University of Vienna, Austria
The paper
- Title
- Impact of Salt Intake on the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Hypertension
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Rust P, Ekmekcioglu C (2017). Impact of Salt Intake on the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Hypertension. Advances in experimental medicine and biology. doi:10.1007/5584_2016_147PubMed 27757935DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error