Sodium under 2300 mg
Fewer ready meals, processed meat and added salt. One of the most direct levers on blood pressure.
Order of magnitude
Under 2300 mg sodium a day, about 6 g of salt.
The size of the effect depends strongly on who you are.
Effects in detail
Each row is a directed edge from our database, with range, latency, evidence grade and the condition under which it applies at all.
| Marker | Effect | Latency | Mode of action | Outcome | Evidence | Condition | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diastolic blood pressure | helps. Lowers -2.07 mmHg confidence interval of the estimate, not the range one person can expect One hundred and thirty-three randomised trials in 12,197 participants give a systolic reduction of 4.26 mmHg (95 % CI 3.62 to 4.89) and a diastolic reduction of 2.07 mmHg for a mean 130 mmol/day reduction in sodium. Trials shorter than 15 days showed less than half the effect of longer ones, so short-term self-experiments will understate this lever. | 2–2 weeks | chronic | unclear | Evidence grade A | applies regardless of the starting value | |
| Systolic blood pressure | helps. Lowers -4.26 mmHg confidence interval of the estimate, not the range one person can expect One hundred and thirty-three randomised trials in 12,197 participants give a systolic reduction of 4.26 mmHg (95 % CI 3.62 to 4.89) and a diastolic reduction of 2.07 mmHg for a mean 130 mmol/day reduction in sodium. Trials shorter than 15 days showed less than half the effect of longer ones, so short-term self-experiments will understate this lever. | 2–2 weeks | chronic | unclear | Evidence grade A | applies regardless of the starting value |
What this measure costs
Counteracting effects of the same measure.
No counteracting effect is on file for this measure. That does not mean there is none, only that we found no defensible edge.
Sources
Full details of every study the rows above rely on.
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet and Blood Pressure Reduction in Adults with and without Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Filippou et al. · Advances in Nutrition · 2020 · Meta-analysis
Effect of dose and duration of reduction in dietary sodium on blood pressure levels: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials
Huang et al. · BMJ · 2020 · Meta-analysis