According to a study by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), one in three adults in Germany has high blood pressure. That’s more than 20 million people. According to the German Heart Foundation, high blood pressure can damage blood vessels and organs such as the heart, kidneys and brain. It is considered a risk factor for heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, heart attacks and premature deaths.
Hypertension patients should consume as little salt as possible
High blood pressure has many causes. These include:
Overweight, little exercise, unhealthy, little plant-based diet, frequent smoking, high alcohol consumption, a lot of stress
Also the frequent consumption of table salt plays a role. Finally, the sodium in table salt binds water. The amount of blood then increases and the pressure in the blood vessels increases. Those affected should therefore pay attention to their consumption and, if possible,
Eat little processed meat such as smoked pork or ham, cheese such as Parmesan, Gouda and Gorgonzola, pretzels, heavily salted fish such as rollmops and matjes and canned vegetables.
Sodium is also contained in effervescent tablets
In addition, high blood pressure patients should Effervescent tablets be careful. As scientists from the Saarland University Hospital (UKS) have now found out in a study, effervescent tablets contain a lot of sodium. It ensures that the tablet dissolves in the water.
However, sodium does not have to be declared as an ingredient in effervescent tablets if they are products from the drugstore or supermarket, says Michael Kunz, a doctor at the UKS, according to “t-online”. Sodium must be stated in pharmacy products. However, this information usually goes unnoticed.
Those affected by high blood pressure should prefer to take vitamin supplements in the form of capsules or film-coated tablets
The researchers therefore advise those affected to discuss taking vitamin preparations, cough suppressants, painkillers such as paracetamol or aspirin in the form of effervescent tablets with a doctor beforehand. The German Society for Cardiology – Heart and Circulation Research (DGK) therefore recommends that patients take the products as capsules or film-coated tablets.
In addition, the UKS scientists are calling on the manufacturers of effervescent tablets to transparently point out the risk for those affected by high blood pressure or to change the recipe and use less sodium.