Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Problems are in the heart muscle, valves or heartbeat.
But the good news is that reducing your salt intake and eating at least one banana a day can significantly reduce your risk of fatal heart disease.
This was revealed in a new medical study conducted in the United States.
Research from the Harvard TH Chen School of Public Health found that low salt intake and high potassium intake reduced the risk of heart disease.
Researchers say that in previous research reports, people were confused as to whether low salt intake is really beneficial or whether it increases the risk of heart disease.
The study involved more than 10,000 people and the data showed that low salt intake is beneficial for heart health.
Experts said that our research used standard data from six major research reports that examined the effects of salt intake.
“Our findings will help clarify the role of salt or sodium in treating coronary heart disease. Low salt intake protects against heart disease,” he said.
Sodium is a component that is found naturally in salts used in food and in some foods, but in high amounts it is often part of processed foods.
In contrast, potassium is naturally found in fruits (such as bananas), green leafy vegetables, seeds, nuts, milk or dairy products, and starchy vegetables.
The researchers said that potassium has the opposite effect of sodium, which helps to keep the blood vessels calm and increases the excretion of sodium from the body, while also lowering blood pressure.
The study analyzed data from six major research reports focusing on sodium and potassium emissions, heart disease rates, and more.
The data was collected from multiple urine samples obtained from volunteers, which the researchers called the most reliable method of sodium synthesis.
The samples were obtained from more than 10,000 healthy adults and were followed by monitoring of heart disease rates for about nine years.
Of those volunteers, 571 suffered from stroke, heart attack and other heart ailments.
Researchers have found that high salt intake is significantly linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
Medical experts recommend using 2300 mg of salt per day. This amount can be considered as equivalent to one teaspoon of salt.
But the study found that every 1,000 milligrams of sodium released from the body daily increases the risk of heart disease by 18%.
In contrast, for every 1,000 potassium excreted on a daily basis, the risk of heart disease is reduced by 18%.
Medical experts say the new research provides strong evidence of too much salt in the diet.
The results of the study were published in the medical journal New England Journal of Medicine.
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