Happy World Hypertension Day!

Today is May 17th. You know what that means? It’s World Hypertension Day! Designated every May 17th, World Hypertension Day highlights the preventable stroke, heart and kidney diseases caused by high blood pressure and to communicate to the public information on prevention, detection and treatment.

This year’s theme is “Salt and High Blood Pressure: Two Silent Killers.” According to the World Hypertension League, over 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from high blood pressure or hypertension. Not only is high blood pressure one of the most common diseases worldwide it is also the biggest single risk factor for death. While there are many contributors to high blood pressure, salt is one of the most important and one of the most controllable. It is estimated that high salt or sodium consumption is the cause of high blood pressure in about 3 in 10 adults. The average daily sodium intake worldwide is 4200 milligrams per person. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends not more than 1 teaspoon of salt or 2300 milligrams of sodium per day (some experts recommend even lower — 1,500 milligrams per day). If salt intake were reduced by half, approximately 2.5 million deaths a year from strokes, heart attacks, and chronic kidney disease would be prevented worldwide.

In developed countries like ours 80 percent of the salt we consume comes from processed or packaged foods and from eating out at restaurants. Only 20 percent comes from salt added at the table. This is critical — many of my patients falsely assume that their salt intake is low because they rarely add salt to their food without recognizing the amount of salt already in the food they eat. The best way to keep track of salt intake is to read nutrition labels for sodium content. Walking around my apartment here some numbers I found:

• 1 cup cereal: 200mg sodium
• 1 serving tortilla chips: 110mg sodium
• 1 tbsp soy sauce: 920mg sodium
• 1 serving frozen dinner: 740mg sodium
• 1/4 cup cheese: 240mg sodium
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce: 290mg sodium
• 2 tbsp peanut butter: 150mg sodium
• 2 tbsp salsa: 250mg sodium
• 6oz low-fat blueberry yogurt: 110mg sodium

Note the serving sizes. Most of us consume more than one serving per meal. Other favorite high salt foods include deli meats, canned soups, packaged noodles, table sauces, and pizza. It’s easy to see how the sodium can add up. By paying attention to nutrition labels, we can begin to make better informed, healthier decisions.

And of course, while not the focus of this year’s World Hypertension Day, going to the doctor to get your blood pressure checked is essential. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that every adult ages 18 and older have his or her blood pressure checked by a health care professional every 1 to 2 years. Individuals with either a systolic blood pressure (the top number) over 140mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) over 90mmHg are said to have high blood pressure. Individuals with a systolic blood pressure over 120mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure over 80mmHg have prehypertension, a treatable condition that often precedes hypertension. Through a combination of lifestyle modifications and medication, individuals can lower their blood pressure and reduce their risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.

Ok, so maybe World Hypertension Day isn’t as fun as Mother’s Day or New Year’s. But by reducing your salt intake and partnering with your doctor to control your blood pressure, by this time next year you can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. Now that is something worth celebrating.

- Shantanu Nundy, M.D.

To learn more about World Hypertension Day, visit www.worldhypertensionleague.org.

To learn more about reducing salt intake, visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/sodium.htm.

To learn more about other ways to reduce blood pressure, visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp.