Hypertension or Elevated Blood Pressure
ON a WFPBD in 7 days average decrease in Blood Pressure is 15 systolic ( top number ) and 13 diastolic ( bottom number.) Example: if BP before starting on diet was 140 / 90 then after 7 days you would expect it o be 125/77 or less. Whereas with decreasing salt intake to below recommended levels which everyone seems to think will lower BP . The average decrease after months is 1- 5systolic and 0.6 to 3 diastolic. So using the same example : 140/90 before salt restriction we would expect it to be at its best 135/87 or 139/89.4 at its worst.
2011 Cochrane review ( well respected scientific reviewer on many medical topics ) found no major evidence to benefit from salt ( sodium ) reduction
Don’t blame the sodium , its the food - which typically is high in fat when it is high in sodium.
Examples : American Cheese 404 mg Sodium / 100 calories
Bacon 415 mg sodium / 100 cal
Ham 830 mg sodium/100 cal
Sodium requirement if about 50 mg/day
WFPBD about 500 mg/ day
allow another 1/2 tsp salt 1000mg - ( salt on surface of food can be tasted more easily than if added at time of cooking )
So about 1600 mg/day on WFPBD
USDA recommends less than 2300 mg/day
Only advantage to lower sodium is in certain diseases like with a damaged heart, Congestive heart Failure, kidney disease and certain edemas.