In summer, more and more "heavy flavor" foods, such as Malatang, crayfish, fragrant pot and barbecue, are widely welcomed. Preference for "heavy taste" has become a normal diet for many people, especially young people. "Heavy taste" mainly means that you can eat too salty, and the amount of salt (sodium chloride) in food is relatively high. According to the survey, the amount of salt in northern China is 16-18 grams per day, the amount of salt in Shanghai is 10-12 grams per day, and the amount of salt in Guangdong is a little lower. The corresponding incidence rate of hypertension also shows a trend of "high in the north and low in the South" with the amount of salt. It can be seen that there is a very close relationship between eating sodium salt and hypertension. How much salt you eat is related to your blood vessel health. There are many kinds of hypertension, one of which is called salt sensitive hypertension. Many people suffer from salt sensitive hypertension, which is not only related to sodium intake in daily life, but also related to our growth genes. For people, salt is actually indispensable, and sodium in table salt is an essential element for human body. Therefore, there is a mechanism in our genes to keep the salt -- the sodium retention mechanism. However, some people keep sodium too much, and sodium cannot be discharged. Once they eat salty food, their blood pressure will rise. In the whole population, the incidence rate of salt sensitive hypertension is 15% ~ 42%. Among the people who have suffered from hypertension, the proportion of salt sensitive hypertension is as high as 70%. How do you know if you are a salt sensitive hypertension patient? An acute salt load test can be performed. If the sum of the increase and decrease of blood pressure reaches 15 mmHg, you are salt sensitive hypertension. In other words, if you eat too salty, you are much more likely to develop high blood pressure than ordinary people. How does sodium salt raise blood pressure? First, blood pressure is the pressure of blood on the blood vessel wall. As the blood volume in the blood vessel increases, the pressure on the blood vessel wall increases, and the blood pressure will rise. The sodium salt can just increase the water content in the blood, resulting in an increase in the total blood volume. For example, if you open a salt tank and put it in the air, the salt in it will be damp after a while, because salt can lock the water in the air. This is also true in the blood. After people eat too much salt, their blood volume will increase, leading to an increase in blood pressure, which is called water sodium retention. Secondly, after water and sodium retention occurs, the human body will start a special mechanism to help the body discharge the retained water and sodium. During this process, some sodium excreting hormones will be produced, such as endogenous digitalis. When they excrete water and sodium, they will increase the resistance of the peripheral blood vessels, thus causing the blood pressure to rise. In addition, sodium can also activate some hormones, such as angiotensin, which can also make blood vessels contract, and the result is also high blood pressure. Finally, sodium can also activate some nerves in the body, such as the sympathetic nerve. This is the nerve that excites when people are excited. When people are excited, won't their blood pressure also rise? Therefore, from blood volume to neuroendocrine, sodium salt can promote blood pressure rise. In today's high incidence rate of hypertension, to reduce the prevalence of hypertension in the whole population, limiting the amount of salt is the most urgent measure.