Low-Salt Diet Improves Health Outlook For Heart Failure Patients

Diet definitely plays an important role in the progression of heart failure, U.S. researchers report, and patients can reduce their blood pressure by following a low-sodium eating plan such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH). Researchers found that patients in their 60s and 70s who followed the DASH diet for 21 days saw a drop in blood pressure similar to taking hypertension medicine. The DASH diet is high in potassium, magnesium, calcium and antioxidants, but low in sodium – no more than 1,150 milligrams a day, much lower than the 3- 4,000 mg consumed by most adults.