Why Do Black People Have Higher Blood Pressure and Worse Outcomes?

    Black Americans have been known to have increased incidences of high blood pressure and more severe outcomes than their white counterparts. In this American Heart Association article, the authors discuss both possible social and genetic causes for this reality. Genetic research into this phenomenon has been notoriously taboo and difficult to conduct. Many professionals, with the understanding that race is a socially contracted identifier, avoid using it as a research foundation. This is done with the belief that focusing on race will only further misconceptions and institutional racism. This article, however, points out that the impact of this racial disparity cannot be rectified without targeted research. Considering Black Americans are showing higher and more severe cases of hypertension while simultaneously being less responsive to treatment, a lack of research only serves to to amplify the health disparity.

    SSBP is a trait in which changes in blood pressure directly corresponds to salt sensitivity. It is a major risk factor for hypertension. Individuals with the SS (salt-sensitive) expression are more likely to experience high blood pressure than those that are SR (salt-resistant). It has also been found that Black people are more likely to be salt sensitive. The mechanism of this trait is still debated and not widely researched. Despite this, the article uses epigenetics and the socioeconomic climate to loosely connect this occurrence to slavery.

    The Theory: An African diet with low salt content lends itself to increased salt sensitivity. Once these sensitive individuals were enslaved and transported across the world, the harsh travel conditions led to many deaths and limited gene variation. In the modern day African Americans, SS was likely passed down through generations. This was then exasterbated by decreased avaliability of nutrition and regular health care. 

    Overall, I found this paper to be enlightening and very influential. It is not mean to point fingers, but to encourage further genetic research into this subject for the benefit a historically neglected people. It is important to understand how the human body works for all people. Even more so, it is important to understand how the actions we take and the environment we live in can alter/influence function. In the future, I would like to see a response to this paper that boldly identifies the mechanisms of SSBP in relation to race and offers treatment or life style adjustments for improved outcomes. 

Salt Tooth Over Sweet Tooth

According to Live Science writer, Sara G. Miller, there's such a thing as a salt tooth, in addition to the more commonly known sweet tooth. It was discovered that certain people carry a gene that make them crave or want a taste of salt more than normal. The variation of a gene known as TAS2R48 that were found in some of the people that took part in this study. These people were more likely to eat an overload of sodium compared to the people who did not have the gene variant. This research was presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions meeting just recently. The lead author of this study is a Ph.D student at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing would like to identify the gene variant that a person has in order to help them make better food choices. I think this idea is fantastic and could really help the obesity problem that is found in the United States. It is also a good idea for people with food allergies and diseases. In order to this, there is need for more research in this area in order to comprehend how a person's genes impact how much sodium they eat.

On average, the limit of the sodium in a person's diet is supposed to be 2,300 milligrams per day. If this is exceeded, high blood pressure can be developed. In those who had the variation of the gene TAS2R48, they were nearly twice likely to exceed the supposed milligrams of sodium per day. These gene has previously been linked to sense of taste when looking at a person's perception of bitterness. This can be one of the reasons why people with the variation avoid broccoli and dark, leafy greens. So those with the gene variation, taste bitter and taste salt more intensely. Or maybe a theory is that the bitter taste of food is masked with salt through increasing the consumption of sodium, according to Smith. During the study, food diaries were looked at for more than 400 people, their DNA was also analyzed and all participants had a heightened risk for heart disease. In addition to salt consumption, saturated fat, sugar and alcohol consumption was looked at,but no variations in the gene effected this.    

Salty Snack Cravings Related to Drug Addictions?

A recent Duke University Medical Center study of mouse brains, showed that the patterns of gene regulation stimulated by salt cravings are the same gene patterns regulated by drug addictions to cocaine or heroin. Salt craving is regulated by the hypothalamus and researchers found that blocking addiction-related pathways could powerfully interfere with sodium appetite. The study used several methods to figure out which genes in mammal brains were activated by salt cravings, such as withholding salt from mice or increasing their salt needs by giving them the stress hormone ACTH. Within ten minutes of drinking salty water rapid brain change was observed in the mice. Salt craving has been an ancient instinct embedded in our history for centuries. Salt appetite has been known to force animals to desperately travel across dangerous mountain ranges to get to a salt lick, putting their lives in danger. Since salt appetite and drug addiction operate by the same mechanisms, this may explain why drug addictions are so hard to overcome. Of course, salt appetite is a relatively harmless instinct when compared to addictions to opiates, but the research could help understand better methods of overcoming addiction.