Menopause is that time in life when you are on the verge of retirement. Normally one needs to be health conscious from the age of 40 as all sicknesses start appearing during this time. That is why it is called middle age, the age when the middle part of your body needs care. Health and nutrition are two words that always go together. Balanced diet can keep a person in good health for a lifetime. All the tastes like sweet, salty, spicy and tangy should be in moderation. Salt is such an ingredient without which food has no taste. Intake of salt increases the iodine content in our body. Salt is also useful in maintaining the body’s hydration. It is very essential to keep your blood pressure under control and excess salt will boost higher BP that results in heart attack.
During menopause the blood pressure normally increases, as there is water retention and mental stress due to erratic play of hormones. So less salt intake can balance the blood pressure and keep the body and mind in a peaceful state. Water retention has also had direct link to salt intake. Reducing salt in your diet can reduce water retention during menopause.
The results of a new study by an American university suggest that hormonal changes following menopause may prompt salt-sensitive hypertension in women who never had a history of BP before menopause. In addition, the researchers found that, in a group of younger women who experienced a hysterectomy with ovary removal, the number of patients with salt sensitivity doubled within 4 months of their surgeries.
The study findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s annual high blood pressure (BP) conference. Researchers studied 40 women in the average age of 47 years with normal BP and no history of diabetes. All of these women underwent hysterectomies with ovary removal, which induced menopause. Prior to their surgeries, only 9 women were salt-sensitive. But four months after surgery it was surprising to find that number rising to 21.
According to the researchers, some women naturally develop salt sensitivity after menopause and run the risk of developing high BP. Even people with normal BP have a risk of developing high BP resulting in cardiovascular disease, they said.
The study raises important questions on how hypertension is treated in postmenopausal women, including the effectiveness of diuretics and the importance of reducing salt intake, the researchers said.
To learn more about menopause, read "The basic facts about menopause" Now, for a limited time, 50% discount only for readers of my blog, use coupon code 50special.
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