Cutting back on salt can reduce blood pressure, but often, the change in blood pressure is small. According to the American Heart Association, a person who reduces salt intake from median levels (around 3,400 milligrams (mg)) to the federal recommended levels (no more than 2,300 mg) typically sees a slight drop of 1% to 2% in blood pressure, on average.
Also, other factors affect blood pressure. For example, blood pressure increases with weight gain and decreases with weight loss. So, keeping a healthy weight can help prevent high blood pressure. Eating foods high in potassium also seems to counter some of the effects of high salt consumption on blood pressure.
Studies comparing salt intake in different countries worldwide have not found a clear connection between salt intake and high blood pressure. Societies that eat lower levels of salt do not necessarily have less heart disease than those that eat a lot of salt.
In addition, salt directly affects other nutrients. For instance, consuming a lot of salt may cause more calcium to be excreted in the urine. Calcium is a mineral that helps to strengthen bones, so people on a high-salt diet may need more calcium to make up for the calcium lost (along with the excess sodium). Also, urinary calcium, the main constituent of kidney stones, is increased by a high salt diet. Therefore, a high-salt diet can lead to painful kidney stones.