By Jimmy Downs

Saturday May 18, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- You may have learnt somewhere that lowering your intake of salt or using a low salt diet does not help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.  But a new study published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found that restricted dietary intake of sodium can help improve vascular endothelial dysfunction in middle-aged/older adults with moderately elevated systolic blood pressure.

The study led by Dr. Douglas R. Seals at Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado at Boulder in Colorado and colleagues shows 17 men and women with a mean age of 62 years had a range of physiological biomarkers associated with vascular endothelial function improved after a 4-week of treatment with a low sodium diet.

Vascular endothelial dysfunction can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease/events.  Men and women are at an increasing risk for vascular endothila dysfunction as they are getting old and particularly if they also have elevated systolic blood pressure, according to the researchers. 

The researchers concluded "DSR (dietary sodium restriction) largely reversed both macro- and microvascular endothelial dysfunction by enhancing NO (nitric oxide, which helps dilate vessels and lowers blood pressure) and BH4 (tetrahydrobiopterin, which helps maintain NO) bioavailability and reducing oxidative stress."