Salt Will Kill You

For too many, lifting themselves is taxing.

Chronic stress will do it too. Were you high strung?

Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - At-a-Glance (some sections omitted)

Here are a few key statistics about heart disease, stroke, other cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors.

The source for the health statistics is the association's 2015 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, which is compiled annually by the American Heart Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and other government sources.

Heart Disease, Stroke and other Cardiovascular Diseases

þ Cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death, accounting for 17.3 million deaths per year, a number that is expected to grow to more than 23.6 million by 2030. þ In 2008, cardiovascular deaths represented 30 percent of all global deaths, with 80 percent of those deaths taking place in low- and middle-income countries. þ Nearly 787,000 people in the US died from heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases in 2011. That's about one of every three deaths in America. þ About 2,150 Americans die each day from these diseases, one every 40 seconds. þ Cardiovascular diseases claim more lives than all forms of cancer combined. þ About 85.6 million Americans are living with some form of cardiovascular disease or the after-effects of stroke. þ Direct and indirect costs of cardiovascular diseases and stroke total more than $320.1 billion. That includes health expenditures and lost productivity. þ Nearly half of all African-American adults have some form of cardiovascular disease, 48 percent of women and 46 percent of men. þ Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the world and the leading cause of death in the United States, killing over 375,000 Americans a year. þ Heart disease accounts for 1 in 7 deaths in the US þ Someone in the US dies from heart disease about once every 90 seconds.

Heart Disease

þ From 2001 to 2011, the death rate from heart disease has fallen about 39 percent - but the burden and risk factors remain alarmingly high. þ Heart disease strikes someone in the US about once every 43 seconds. þ Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, killing over 375,000 people a year. þ Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, taking more lives than all forms of cancer combined. þ Over 39,000 African-Americans died from heart disease in 2011. þ Cardiovascular operations and procedures increased about 28 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to federal data, totaling about 7.6 million in 2010. þ About 735,000 people in the US have heart attacks each year. Of those, about 120,000 die. þ About 635,000 people in the US have a first-time heart attack each year, and about 300,000 have recurrent heart attacks.

Stroke

þ In 2010, worldwide prevalence of stroke was 33 million, with 16.9 million people having a first stroke. Stroke was the second-leading global cause of death behind heart disease, accounting for 11.13% of total deaths worldwide. þ Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 129,000 people a year. þ Stroke kills someone in the US about once every four minutes. þ African-Americans have nearly twice the risk for a first-ever stroke than white people, and a much higher death rate from stroke. þ Over the past 10 years, the death rate from stroke has fallen about 35 percent and the number of stroke deaths has dropped about 21 percent. þ About 795,000 people have a stroke every year. þ Someone in the US has a stroke about once every 40 seconds. þ Stroke causes 1 of every 20 deaths in the US þ Stroke is a leading cause of disability. þ Stroke is the leading preventable cause of disability.

Healthy Diet

þ Less than 1 percent of US adults meet the American Heart Association's definition for "Ideal Healthy Diet." Essentially no children meet the definition.

OF THE 5 COMPONENTS OF A HEALTHY DIET, REDUCING SODIUM AND INCREASING WHOLE GRAINS ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES.

High Blood Pressure

þ About 80 million US adults have high blood pressure. That's about 33 percent. About 77 percent of those are using antihypertensive medication, but only 54 of those have their condition controlled. þ About 69 percent of people who have a first heart attack, 77 percent of people who have a first stroke and 74 percent who have congestive heart failure have blood pressure higher than 140/90 mm Hg. þ Nearly half of people with high blood pressure (46 percent) do not have it under control.

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The link doesn't wrap well. Here is the TinyURL:

I want to show the incredible effect that sodium has on the body.

Before I switched to Windsor Salt Free, my feet were so swollen I could hardly put my shoes on. They wouldn't fit. They were too small, even though they were the largest I could find.

After switching to Salt Free, see the difference:

Imagine what salt was doing inside the body.

Salt will kill you.

It may well kill you. You clearly have some condition that prevents your body from excreting sodium, very likely something with your kidneys. That is what is going to kill you, not the sodium. Has your doctor checked your kidney function? There are other issues that may cause similar problems. I'm surprised your investigation into your issues and salt did not turn up any of this. No?

Don't "imagine". Understand.

Lack of salt will kill you too.

Not everybody has the same metabolism not diet. Global statements are untrustworthy.

Salt can kill you, like any number of other things taken to excess.

What nearly killed you was high blood pressure, which should have been treated a lot earlier than yours was. Eating too much salt can contribute, but so can a careless choice of ancestors.

Your doctor has a lot drugs that can be used to reduce high blood pressure - I now take three different ones, a beta blocker. an ACE inhibitor and a Calcium blocker - and the combination does the trick. If my genome were different, the treatments would need to match that.

The OP hasn't told us what other factors may have contributed to his problems. Hard to imagine his only "failing" was a certain preference for salt on (in!) his foods!

Has he ever smoked or lived/worked in an environment where smoking was common?

Did he eat a "healthy diet" (excepting the sodium intake)? Avoid fats? Red meats? Avoid processed foods?

Get plenty of exercise? (while wearing sun protection?)

Avoid all nasty industrial chemicals or toxins?

If you look at the issues that have contributed to longer lifespan (at the level of a society), "reducing sodium" isn't even on the charts! Better sanitation, controls on food quality, infectious diseases, vaccinations, medications, clean water, air quality, workplace factors, etc.

[My other half's mom had dangerously high blood pressure for most of her life (160+ mm/Hg). Despite medication to "control" it. She eventually died of kidney disease. At 95.]

Cut out the salt (even potassium chloride as it is harmful to kidneys and heart), avoid the fats, get plenty of exercise, etc. -- and you're still not going to do much to increase the lifespan of a society. You'll just change the relative weights of the issues that eventually take those lives.

[Make sure we ban guns, cars, anti-vaxers, meat products, any medication that can have "harmful side effects", medical errors, smoking, all activities that can lead to injury, ...]