Postmenopausal women can lower blood pressure fastest by lowering salt (new study)

Here's another new study--Postmenopausal women can lower their blood pressure. They should work on the DASH diet and exercising, but the study found that lowering salt intake make the biggest difference in these women.

I know my blood pressure has gone up since surgery. So I'm going to add lower salt to my list of things I'm trying to do.

With lower estrogen the arteries stiffen and pressure goes up (that's one theory anyway). The women in the study either walked every day or cut their salt. Salt worked better but both worked. They said that diet and exercise together were even more effective. The goal is to have systolic pressure be below 130.

Journal of the American College of Cardiology August 2001;38:506-513.

Great, timely info Trish. Thanks for posting that!

Last time I checked (a week ago) my blood pressure was 107/60, and I still have my ovaries, so I'm not too worried about *that* (yet), but I had an overall checkup (pre-employment thing) last week also, and the doctor noticed that my legs were swollen. She poked her thumb into each shin for a few seconds (hard!), and the "dent" stayed there for quite a while. Yikes! That's not good. I thought I was just fat. Indicates poor circulation. Uh oh.

Because my blood pressure has always been low I've never been concerned about salt. Chips? Bring 'em on! Salty frozen meals? Yum!

So I asked her if it was necessarily a health problem, or if it could be the salty pizza I had the day before (half for lunch, half for dinner!). She said the pizza could do it, or it could be hormonal. This water retention idea is a new one for me, because I'm just learning what life is like without being on the pill (after 23 years). Could be an actual circulatory problem, too - gotta talk to my doctor about that. So the next day, as an experiment, I ate *no* salt (not even hidden in prepared foods). Drank lots of water. And I lost **4** pounds!!! The "denting" was less when I tried the same poking thing again, too.

That convinced me that salt can have a huge impact on what's going on in my body, and now I'm avoiding it wherever I can. And heck, if it does me good in the long run, with blood pressure and arterial health, so much the better.

I have not visited this site for some time as I have been working steadily on a strict diet with no or little sodium, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, protein (fish, chicken -- no red meat) and lots of exercise, both cardio & weight training. The elimination of sodium from my diet, in my opinion, is the single best thing that I have done to eliminate all of the nasty side effects of the HRT that I have been taking since my TAH/BSO in 10/99.

Now gone are the headaches, sharp pains and tenderness in my breasts, leg swelling, feeling of nausea, anxiety etc etc along with 35 pounds even though my medication has not changed (Cenestin). Also my blood pressure, which had been rising steadily post-op has dropped to normal. I am surprised my doctor never suggested the elimination of sodium and it was not until I had gained almost 30 pounds that she "mentioned" I needed to lose weight (although I had been trying mightily to do so with no success).

For me personally, the key to eliminating the agonies that I suffered after my surgery has been the elimination of sodium, and by that I mean not only not putting salt on my food, but also no processed foods because they are loaded with sodium (e.g., ketcup, mustard, dressings, marinades, canned foods.... even cottage cheese). That is now a way of life for me forever because it has made such a HUGE difference. I also have worked very hard on weight loss through other dietary restrictions and vigorous exercise, but the difference is that it is working now when it did not before.

Has anyone else experienced that the elimination of sodium from your diet has made a major difference?

JMTustin
TAH BSO 10/23/99
Cenestin 0.625 MG

Two years ago I was having alot of problems with exessive swelling in my lower legs. Had many problems and tests because of it. In the end I was put on a low salt diet and fluid pills. Most of my pain went away as I lost a small amount of weight too.
My theory is, the less salt, the less pressure on your system, the less pain you have. I'm also on a low fat diet. So with the low salt, low fat, I had to change my way of eating. It was good for me. But now since my surgery 03/23/01, for what ever reason I can only eat small amounts at a time. So I graze through the day on lots of fruit and veggies. So that has upset my bowels and gives me alot of pain. That is what I think it is anyway. Might have to change my way of eating again. Weight seems to stay about the same.
Best wishes for a happier, healthier you.

There is definitely something to this salt thing. I have noticed on the days I take my long walks that my fingers will swell during the walk if I've overdone it on salty foods the day before.

I take a combination of two different blood pressure meds, plus potassium x2 each day.

This is interesting about a possible salt/pain connection. I will have to tell my MIL about this one.

-Kim