Salt is undoubtedly the main enemy of the vessels. Previously, doctors thought that high blood pressure appeared due to the fact of uncontrolled use of salt, which retained fluid in the body and added pressure on the arteries.
Today, the new data have been obtained: an excess of salt leads to the production of adrenaline and vasoconstriction, which causes hypertension.
Irene Gavras, a researcher from Boston University School of Medicine in the United States, called the idea of relating salt and hypertension wrong, though it had been developed for years. So, if we consider the conditions under which the body fluid is retained (e.g. excessive increase in blood sugar levels), it becomes clear that they do not affect the increase in blood pressure. The circulatory system of the human body is very flexible, and excess fluid is distributed through the opening of new capillaries and increasing veins.
The scientists have been able to prove that the mechanism of hypertension is triggered by some other reason. As a result of excessive salt intake, sympathetic nervous system is stimulated, and the production of adrenaline increases. The arteries are narrowed, resistance is increased, and the blood flow reduces.
In connection with this discovery, a group of American researchers encourage physicians to review the principles of treatment of hypertension. This disease is usually accompanied by renal insufficiency, and diuretics are used to treat this type of hypertension, since they remove excess salt. Scientists insist that it is necessary to use not only diuretics, but also the drugs blocking the central sympathetic nervous system.
