Eating a high-salt diet for several years may damage blood vessels — increasing your risk of developing high blood pressure, according to research reported in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. People with this type of blood vessel damage who eat a high-salt diet are more likely to develop hypertension, or high blood pressure. This research hints at the presence of a “sodium amplification loop” in which eating too much salt for a long time damages blood vessels, leading to a greater chance of developing high blood pressure if the high-salt diet is continued. The study’s results “add to the considerable evidence that a diet heavy on salt is closely linked to high blood pressure,” said John Forman, MD, lead author of the study.
