A new study found a high-salt diet can reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure medications.  Patients on a low-salt diet had a drop of 22.7 points in systolic blood pressure and 9.1 points in diastolic blood pressure.  High blood pressure is a major risk factor for kidney disease, heart attack, stroke and other problems.  Heavy salt intake contributes to the problem.  Doctors recommend eating fresh foods, avoiding processed foods, which are high in salt, and following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which is low in salt and fat and high in fiber.

This article originally appeared in the October 2009 issue of AAKP Diet Tips & Bits.