Stress can cause people to retain as much salt as eating french fries

A recent study, which will be presented at the Behavioral Economics, Hypertension Session of the Psychogenic Cardiovascular Disease Conference in Prato, Italy, has revealed that around 30% of African Americans retain too much sodium, about the same amount we would consume from eating a small order of french fries.  Dr. Gregory Harshfield, a researcher of hypertension at the Institute of Publish and Preventive Health at Georgia Health Sciences University, commented: "This response pattern puts you under a greater blood pressure load over the course of the day and probably throughout the night as well, increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease."  When African American individuals are stressed, they tend to keep about 160 milligrams of salt, and their normal top blood pressure number increases by about 7 points.  During a full day, this reaction increases sodium loads, adding around 500 milligrams to diets that already contain a large amount of salt. 2,300 milligrams or less of daily sodium intake is recommended by The Institute of Medicine.  Harshfield determined that risky amounts of sodium may be taken away by angiotensin receptor blockers, a well-known treatment for blood pressure.  Angiotensin raises blood pressure levels by telling the kidneys to retain salt, as well as raising the levels of the hormone aldosteron, another culprit guilty of directly the kidneys to hold salt.  The author explained that it is natural for the body to react to stress by increase blood vessel constriction for a short period of time, therefore raising sodium elimination.