Blood pressure too high? Your salty skin may be to blame

October 2, 2014  17:48

Researchers are investigating whether salt stored naturally in our skin may contribute to high blood pressure.

The new study on 200 people with slightly raised blood pressure will investigate a radical theory that the condition is not just caused by the salt we eat, but also by salt naturally stored in the skin and muscles.

Salt is crucial to survival and plays a vital role in countless processes in the body.

However, high salt levels are thought to lead to high blood pressure because they cause the body to retain too much water.

This extra fluid puts pressure on the heart and blood vessels, and can raise blood pressure.

Most of our salt intake is from food, and official guidelines recommend eating no more than 6g a day.

However, animal studies at Emory University in the U.S., published in the journal Nature Medicine four years ago, found ‘remarkable’ amounts of sodium — the key component of salt — in the gaps between cells in the muscle and skin.

The idea is that these gaps, known as interstitial spaces, act as salt stores throughout the body.

Now, a team at Vanderbilt University in the U.S. is investigating whether emptying these stores can lower blood pressure, The Daily Mail reported.

In the eight-week study, patients with ‘pre-hypertension’ — slightly raised blood pressure — will take either a daily pill commonly used for heart failure or a placebo.

The researchers hope the medication, which is called spironolactone and helps remove excess fluid from the body, will also flush out salt from the salt stores between the cells.

The scientists will then measure levels of salt in the skin and muscle.

They will also carry out tests to investigate whether stored salt triggers inflammation and causes cells of the immune system to malfunction.

 

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