Heart doctors say it is this simple: Cut back on sodium and you reduce your risk for heart disease.
What raises your risk for high blood pressure? Sodium. Do you need to cut back? Probably. The CDC estimates that on average most of us are getting twice as much as the daily recommendation -- 2,300 milligrams.
"That is one of the major contributing factors to hypertension," said Providence Cardiologist Shukri David, M.D. "Hypertension is one of the leading causes of strokes and heart attacks in America, and that is the number one killer, period."
Blood pressure is one of the key screenings at our Healthy Heart Project.
Another screening that can tell a story about your heart in seconds is the electrocardiogram or EKG, which is a reading of your heart rhythm.
"It will tell us if the heart muscle is thickened or not. It can tell us if the patient has had a prior heart attack or (is) maybe at risk for a heart attack," David said.
The message from doctors is that when it comes to understanding and protecting your heart, some of it science and some of it is common sense, such as what we choose to eat and do.
"Obesity is an epidemic in America. We're one of the fattest countries in the world, and we're basically killing ourselves because we eat way too much, and we don't exercise enough," said David.
Sodium Information
source: myfoxdetroit
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