Re: Salt and cramps

[Guest guest]

One pound of liquid is about 454 grams and since sweat contains around

2g of salt per liter, the body can lose about 1 gram to 1-1/2 grams of

salt from perspiration overnight.

Muscles consist of actin and myosin protein fibers that contract or

relax under the influence of electrolytes and energy-carrying

molecules (e.g., ATP). The contraction/relaxation is controlled by

electrical stimulation from the nervous system. Two links below

discuss the role of electrolytes and ATP in muscle contraction. The

role of ATP, and its dependence on carbohydrates/fatty acids.

Tony

===

http://www.spinalhealth.net/hyponatremia.html

Sweat contains between 2.25 and 3.4 grams of salt per litre

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/aa030101a.htm

Studies have shown that athletes can lose 2 (or more) grams of salt per

liter of sweat.

http://www.eload.net/Media/Article07.htm

On average, one liter of sweat contains anywhere from 1.75 grams of salt

(700 mg of sodium plus 1050 mg of chlorine) to three grams of salt

(1200 mg

of sodium plus 1800 mg of chlorine).

http://www.hhmi.org/cgi-bin/askascientist/highlight.pl?kw= & file=answers%2Fgenera\

l%2Fans_030.html

How do potassium and magnesium affect the contraction of a skeletal

muscle cell? Tri H. Do, HHMI predoctoral fellow, Harvard

University. [snip] " Magnesium also plays a role in the molecular

machinery that is downstream of calcium release. The core of this

machinery comprises two molecules, actin and myosin. Actin molecules

interlink to form filaments, which are bundled together and anchored

at either end of the muscle cell. Myosin is a motor protein that in

muscle resembles a matchstick with its head bent down.

The head is the globular domain, and the " stick " part is the tail. The

head is able to bind to actin and also bend back and forth. Myosin

molecules are bundled together by their tails near the center of the

cell. Their heads point toward either end and are close to the actin

molecules. When a muscle fiber is at rest a complex of two molecules,

troponin and tropomyosin, sits between actin and myosin and prevents

them from interacting.

Increased intracellular calcium causes troponin-tropomyosin to slide

away, allowing the myosin heads and actin filaments to bind to one

another. The myosin heads bend back and forth, creating a ratcheting

motion that pulls actin bundles at each end of the cell closer

together. The actin bundles are

interlinked with the cytoskeleton, so the cell becomes shorter. The

muscle fiber contracts. Every time that a myosin head cocks up and

then ratchets forward, it hydrolyzes one adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

molecule for energy.

ATP binds to the myosin head with magnesium. Therefore, a drastic

decrease in intracellular magnesium makes the muscle cell less

contractile. "

http://www.myodynamics.com/articles/cramps.html

MUSCLE CRAMPS: DEALING WITH HEAT STRESS DURING ENDURANCE EXERCISE by

DR. BILL MISNER, Ph.D. [snip] THE ORIGIN OF A MUSCLE CRAMP

" A 'Rigor Complex' or muscle cramp may result when Adenosine

Triphosphate(ATP) is not available within a muscle cell. ATP is the

energy source produced by muscle mitochondrial cells during muscle

shortening or contraction. Specific ATP binding sites(on myosin

protein heads within muscle filaments) store ATP from Adenosine

Diphosphate(ADP) and Phosphate(Pi), as the result of ATP breakdown

after energy expenditure. Inside muscle filaments the ATP-bearing

myosin head attaches itself to an actin protein head. When the myosin

head binds to the actin the result is a shortening of the muscle to

full state contraction, known as a " Rigor Complex " . Biochemical

reactions initiate a responsive release of the myosin head from its

attraction to the actin head, relaxing the contractile state,

restoring homeostatic balance and resupplying spent ATP from ADP and

Pi byproducts of energy metabolism. Calcium bound to Troponin-C must

be removed so that Tropmyosin can again move into a blocking position

between the actin and myosin heads. Speculation exists that two

primary causes for exertional cramps are (1) the lack of fresh

reformed ATP, (2) the release of Calcium from Troponin-C for migration

to sarcoplasmic retiniculum is biochemically incomplete or interrupted.

The primary fuel source for ATP synthesis is carbohydrates(muscle

glycogen or blood glucose) while secondary sources are provided by

fatty acids, when carbohydrate stores deplete to low levels. Very

minute amounts are also cannibalized from lean muscle mass,

(especially branched chain amino acids, BCAA's). The rate of ATP

synthesis from carbohydrates is 1.0 mol/minute, but it is only 0.5

mol/minute from fatty acids.(Zambraski 1976) Muscle glycogen and blood

glucose stores yield double the replenishing rate for ATP energy

substrate metabolism. During anaerobic energy metabolism or any

conditions which may raise internal temperatures, carbohydrate

synthesis rates for ATP may raise to as high as 2.4 mol/minute!

Researchers have found that the efficient use of fatty acid stores

during recyclic transition to ATP for energy metabolism is enhanced by

repeated cyclic aerobic stress.(Hermansen 1967) Application of

endurance training will increase both the efficiency of

fatty acid metabolism and the stores of muscle glycogen, reducing the

predisposed ATP-depletion which in turn may impose a series of

unwanted muscle cramps. "

[Guest guest]

The less salt you eat the less sodium comes out in sweat, however.

Regards.

----- Original Message -----

From: citpeks

Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 12:10 PM

Subject: [ ] Re: Salt and cramps

One pound of liquid is about 454 grams and since sweat contains around2g of salt per liter, the body can lose about 1 gram to 1-1/2 grams ofsalt from perspiration overnight.Muscles consist of actin and myosin protein fibers that contract orrelax under the influence of electrolytes and energy-carryingmolecules (e.g., ATP). The contraction/relaxation is controlled byelectrical stimulation from the nervous system. Two links belowdiscuss the role of electrolytes and ATP in muscle contraction. Therole of ATP, and its dependence on carbohydrates/fatty acids.Tony===http://www.spinalhealth.net/hyponatremia.htmlSweat contains between 2.25 and 3.4 grams of salt per litrehttp://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/aa030101a.htmStudies have shown that athletes can lose 2 (or more) grams of salt perliter of sweat. http://www.eload.net/Media/Article07.htmOn average, one liter of sweat contains anywhere from 1.75 grams of salt(700 mg of sodium plus 1050 mg of chlorine) to three grams of salt(1200 mgof sodium plus 1800 mg of chlorine).http://www.hhmi.org/cgi-bin/askascientist/highlight.pl?kw= & file=answers%2Fgeneral%2Fans_030.htmlHow do potassium and magnesium affect the contraction of a skeletalmuscle cell? Tri H. Do, HHMI predoctoral fellow, HarvardUniversity. [snip] "Magnesium also plays a role in the molecularmachinery that is downstream of calcium release. The core of thismachinery comprises two molecules, actin and myosin. Actin moleculesinterlink to form filaments, which are bundled together and anchoredat either end of the muscle cell. Myosin is a motor protein that inmuscle resembles a matchstick with its head bent down.The head is the globular domain, and the "stick" part is the tail. Thehead is able to bind to actin and also bend back and forth. Myosinmolecules are bundled together by their tails near the center of thecell. Their heads point toward either end and are close to the actinmolecules. When a muscle fiber is at rest a complex of two molecules,troponin and tropomyosin, sits between actin and myosin and preventsthem from interacting.Increased intracellular calcium causes troponin-tropomyosin to slideaway, allowing the myosin heads and actin filaments to bind to oneanother. The myosin heads bend back and forth, creating a ratchetingmotion that pulls actin bundles at each end of the cell closertogether. The actin bundles areinterlinked with the cytoskeleton, so the cell becomes shorter. Themuscle fiber contracts. Every time that a myosin head cocks up andthen ratchets forward, it hydrolyzes one adenosine triphosphate (ATP)molecule for energy.ATP binds to the myosin head with magnesium. Therefore, a drasticdecrease in intracellular magnesium makes the muscle cell lesscontractile."http://www.myodynamics.com/articles/cramps.html MUSCLE CRAMPS: DEALING WITH HEAT STRESS DURING ENDURANCE EXERCISE byDR. BILL MISNER, Ph.D. [snip] THE ORIGIN OF A MUSCLE CRAMP"A 'Rigor Complex' or muscle cramp may result when AdenosineTriphosphate(ATP) is not available within a muscle cell. ATP is theenergy source produced by muscle mitochondrial cells during muscleshortening or contraction. Specific ATP binding sites(on myosinprotein heads within muscle filaments) store ATP from AdenosineDiphosphate(ADP) and Phosphate(Pi), as the result of ATP breakdownafter energy expenditure. Inside muscle filaments the ATP-bearingmyosin head attaches itself to an actin protein head. When the myosinhead binds to the actin the result is a shortening of the muscle tofull state contraction, known as a "Rigor Complex". Biochemicalreactions initiate a responsive release of the myosin head from itsattraction to the actin head, relaxing the contractile state,restoring homeostatic balance and resupplying spent ATP from ADP andPi byproducts of energy metabolism. Calcium bound to Troponin-C mustbe removed so that Tropmyosin can again move into a blocking positionbetween the actin and myosin heads. Speculation exists that twoprimary causes for exertional cramps are (1) the lack of freshreformed ATP, (2) the release of Calcium from Troponin-C for migrationto sarcoplasmic retiniculum is biochemically incomplete or interrupted.The primary fuel source for ATP synthesis is carbohydrates(muscleglycogen or blood glucose) while secondary sources are provided byfatty acids, when carbohydrate stores deplete to low levels. Veryminute amounts are also cannibalized from lean muscle mass,(especially branched chain amino acids, BCAA's). The rate of ATPsynthesis from carbohydrates is 1.0 mol/minute, but it is only 0.5mol/minute from fatty acids.(Zambraski 1976) Muscle glycogen and bloodglucose stores yield double the replenishing rate for ATP energysubstrate metabolism. During anaerobic energy metabolism or anyconditions which may raise internal temperatures, carbohydratesynthesis rates for ATP may raise to as high as 2.4 mol/minute!Researchers have found that the efficient use of fatty acid storesduring recyclic transition to ATP for energy metabolism is enhanced byrepeated cyclic aerobic stress.(Hermansen 1967) Application ofendurance training will increase both the efficiency of fatty acid metabolism and the stores of muscle glycogen, reducing thepredisposed ATP-depletion which in turn may impose a series ofunwanted muscle cramps."

[Guest guest]

>>>

From: " jwwright " <jwwright@e...>

Date: Wed Mar 9, 2005 6:19 pm

Subject: Re: [ ] Re: Salt and cramps

The less salt you eat the less sodium comes out in sweat, however.

Regards.

>>>

.... and when you cannot sweat then you get cramps, heat exhaustion,

and heat stroke.

Tony

http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section20/chapter279/279d.jsp

http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section20/chapter279/279b.jsp

http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section20/chapter279/279c.jsp

[Guest guest]

Another perhaps related (?) observation. I recall years ago when I was eating

lots of processed food, and more calories too, I would

routinely find a salty dried residue around my eyes every morning upon waking. I

didn't notice immediately but the volume of eye

crust has diminished dramatically over the last few years.... except for nights

when I respond to cramping by downing a few extra

grams salt. The following morning the old familiar eye crud is back.

Coincidence,,, I think not :-)

I suspect we all must find our own appropriate level for such things based on

personal activity and rest of our diet. I may still be

relatively low sodium even with modest supplementation.

It seems to me that general advice is just that... kind of like BMI, perhaps

useful in the average but suspect for individual use.

JR

-----Original Message-----

From: citpeks [mailto:citpeks@...]

Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 10:09 PM

Subject: [ ] Re: Salt and cramps

>>>

From: " jwwright " <jwwright@e...>

Date: Wed Mar 9, 2005 6:19 pm

Subject: Re: [ ] Re: Salt and cramps

The less salt you eat the less sodium comes out in sweat, however.

Regards.

>>>

.... and when you cannot sweat then you get cramps, heat exhaustion,

and heat stroke.

Tony

http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section20/chapter279/279d.jsp

http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section20/chapter279/279b.jsp

http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section20/chapter279/279c.jsp

[Guest guest]

That's a diff issue.

Exercise-induced cramps of striated muscle resulting from excessive fluid intake without sodium replacement.

So how about not doing that much exercise? Wouldn't that be a healthy thing?

If you have a medical problem ask a doctor.

Like I said, the salting food issue is never going to be settled, certainly not in this group. There's no proof for adding salt to food for health reasons, like for vit A, D or Calcium. And that's what the lawsuit should be discussing.

My argument is logical - why don't they have to PROVE it to ADD it? I personally don't care what people eat, I take exception for implying it needs to be added to ALL foods as if it's a healthy thing. They have yet to prove to my satisfaction that being "fit", exercising a lot, reducing weight more than 25%, eating fish, or "Looking" "fit" has any health attributes. They're just associations.

I can eat less and less and not lose weight down to a point where I start to lose weight. And that's all I believe about CR for humans.

Regards.

----- Original Message -----

From: citpeks

Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 10:09 PM

Subject: [ ] Re: Salt and cramps

>>>From: "jwwright" <jwwright@e...>Date: Wed Mar 9, 2005 6:19 pmSubject: Re: [ ] Re: Salt and crampsThe less salt you eat the less sodium comes out in sweat, however.Regards.>>>... and when you cannot sweat then you get cramps, heat exhaustion,and heat stroke.Tonyhttp://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section20/chapter279/279d.jsphttp://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section20/chapter279/279b.jsphttp://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section20/chapter279/279c.jsp

[Guest guest]

Hi JW:

(Just to momentarily usurp your established position here as devil's

advocate!)

Aren't the **problems** some people perceive with salt just based

on 'associations'? It seems to me that of the large number of

studies of the relationship between salt intake and BP many have

found no apparent correlation. Others of course have found a

connection, or association. My complaint about salt - stroke and

stomach cancer - is based on associations that are probably more

consistent than that between salt and BP.

Sodium is a required nutrient. Just as are vitamins A, D and

calcium. If your diet is entirely depleted of calcium you die. But

the same is true of sodium. Of course there are many essential

nutrients that, while vital in small quantities, are toxic in

excessive amounts.

According to the IOM: " Healthy 19- to 50-year-old adults should

consume 1.5 grams of sodium and 2.3 grams of chloride each day -- or

3.8 grams of salt -- to replace the amount lost daily on average

through sweat and to achieve a diet that provides sufficient amounts

of other essential nutrients. " This is now referred to as 'Dietary

Reference Intake' - DRI.

http://www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=18495

So how do you decide which associations to pay attention to and which

to ignore? I realize that I may be guilty of paying TOO MUCH

attention to associations. I am much more skeptical of ivory-tower

type theories that food, or compound, X ought to be wonderful for

your health because of reasons A, B and C, when such advice is

offered when there is no EMPIRICAL evidence that it actually happens

in the real world.

I am more easily persuaded when I see evidence that it really does

seem to happen to real people in the real world, even without a

logical rationale, than I am when some often well meaning scientist,

trying to attract attention (and/or research grants?) comes up with

some very logical, but untested reason for some imagined effect.

So what I am saying is that different people are persuaded by

different forms of 'evidence'. The cigarette manufacturers

maintained for many decades that the fact that people who smoked were

twenty times more likely to get lung cancer than those who didn't did

not prove smoking caused lung cancer. They also maintianed that no

one had shown if, or how, any ingredient in cigarette smoke caused

lung cancer. So, they said, there is no reason to believe that

smoking causes cancer. I, since I am more open than many

to 'associative evidence', was easily persuaded about that link.

Others, particularly smokers, were more impressed by the arguments of

the manufacturers. Of course most of them are now long since dead.

jmo

Rodney.

--- In , " jwwright " <jwwright@e...>

wrote:

> Like I said, the salting food issue is never going to be settled,

certainly not in this group. There's no proof for adding salt to food

for health reasons, like for vit A, D or Calcium. And that's what the

lawsuit should be discussing.

> My argument is logical - why don't they have to PROVE it to ADD it?

I personally don't care what people eat, I take exception for

implying it needs to be added to ALL foods as if it's a healthy

thing. They have yet to prove to my satisfaction that being " fit " ,

exercising a lot, reducing weight more than 25%, eating fish,

or " Looking " " fit " has any health attributes. They're just

associations.

[Guest guest]

The clear issues or facts are that restriction of sodium lowers BP in a hypertensive. That doesn't mean sodium caused it. BP is something we started measuring only recently, so long term data is scarce. The use of salt goes back thousands of years - it's ingrained in us.

The association of sodium with HTN, can easily be attributed to increased weight, because you usually can't separate those. A large number of hypertensives (like 90%) are women with type II diabetes. But that's because women live longer too.

In a word, Obesity causes us to die early. It causes most HTN, type II diabetes, kidney failure, CVD. So I have to truly believe that sodium is not a lone culprit, at least.

But salt makes things taste good, and without it we would eat a lot less. So indirectly I can say it CAUSES HTN.

But not all obese people are hypertensive. They will be at age.

There's a tribe that excretes so little sodium you'd think it impossible, however, we are not Yanomamas. They get a lot of exercise, but apparently don't need a lot of sodium for cooling. We have about 650 grams of sodium in us, so things like muscle cramps have to be a medical issue, not a nutritional thing. Probably European stock needs more sodium - we build high rise buildings, but food has a lot of sodium. The issue is adding more.

Consider that a test shows a person's BP goes up if you feed them more salt. That doesn't mean you give them HTN. You lower sodium intake on any person and their BP goes down - doesn't mean you can cure HTN.

The word hypertension itself is ambiguous - it means higher BP, but many things cause higher BP that are not HTN the disease. So tests mess up that word. Just like they mess up the EPA from fish versus EPA derived internally.

Notice the variation in sodium content.Dr. Duke'sPhytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases Chemicals in: Lactuca sativa L. (Asteraceae) -- LettuceSODIUM Leaf 28 - 18,560 ppm DUKE1992Acheck my math:18500 ppm0.0185 gm/gm1.85 gms/100 gms1850 mgs/100 gms524.475 mgs/ozSo a pound of lettuce could be deadly for me.No product labels on fresh veggies.The IOM data which is now more representative of what a person needs is thought by medicals to be a maximum for sodium. Here's the real problem with RDA's. The needed amount should be stated like an other scientist would state a requirement, like 1250 +/- 250 mgs. Our RDA's do not have that clarity, because they don't know. We assume the RDA means anything over that is OK, but I find that 32000 IU of beta-carotene is a limit in one article for PCa. And every year we get some new change, like retinol was found to be too much in the common MV.

So this is not science. And it's all based on associations.

Sodium is in the cancer stage of 50 yrs ago. There is no doubt in Dr. Grim's mind that salt causes HTN. But proving it is something else. I think putting salt into food is not a necessity, because almost everyone uses salt liberally.

If I sat on a jury today, I would not know whom to believe, but I would vote to be safe. It's not reasonable to add salt to potato chips as a sodium source. It is reasonable as a preservative. It's not reasonable to add it to fresh meats. It is reasonable to add it to canned meats.

If we used the same criteria as sodium, we would add Ca, K, Mg, eg, to all foods.

----- Original Message -----

From: Rodney

Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 11:40 AM

Subject: [ ] Re: Salt and cramps

Hi JW:(Just to momentarily usurp your established position here as devil's advocate!)Aren't the **problems** some people perceive with salt just based on 'associations'? It seems to me that of the large number of studies of the relationship between salt intake and BP many have found no apparent correlation. Others of course have found a connection, or association. My complaint about salt - stroke and stomach cancer - is based on associations that are probably more consistent than that between salt and BP.

I once drew a flow diagram

Na intake >> eat too much >> obesity >> HTN >> stroke

>> Kidney failure

>> Liver failure

>> LV hypertrophy >> MI

>> CVD >> MI

>> Isch stroke

>> Type II diabetes

The same could be said for sugar, I guess.

Sodium is a required nutrient. Just as are vitamins A, D and calcium. If your diet is entirely depleted of calcium you die.

So we could say we are Calcium-sensitive as well. If we wanted to add Ca to all foods.

But the same is true of sodium. Of course there are many essential nutrients that, while vital in small quantities, are toxic in excessive amounts.

And we get them in foods without adding it.According to the IOM: "Healthy 19- to 50-year-old adults should consume 1.5 grams of sodium and 2.3 grams of chloride each day -- or 3.8 grams of salt -- to replace the amount lost daily on average through sweat and to achieve a diet that provides sufficient amounts of other essential nutrients." This is now referred to as 'Dietary Reference Intake' - DRI.http://www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=18495So how do you decide which associations to pay attention to and which to ignore? I realize that I may be guilty of paying TOO MUCH attention to associations.

So we know there's an association of K to BP also. Why do we not add K to all foods?

Also Mg. Ergo, this is not a nutritional issue.

I am much more skeptical of ivory-tower type theories that food, or compound, X ought to be wonderful for your health because of reasons A, B and C, when such advice is offered when there is no EMPIRICAL evidence that it actually happens in the real world.

I am more easily persuaded when I see evidence that it really does seem to happen to real people in the real world, even without a logical rationale, than I am when some often well meaning scientist, trying to attract attention (and/or research grants?) comes up with some very logical, but untested reason for some imagined effect.So what I am saying is that different people are persuaded by different forms of 'evidence'. The cigarette manufacturers maintained for many decades that the fact that people who smoked were twenty times more likely to get lung cancer than those who didn't did not prove smoking caused lung cancer. They also maintianed that no one had shown if, or how, any ingredient in cigarette smoke caused lung cancer. So, they said, there is no reason to believe that smoking causes cancer.

I don't need an association for tobacco with cancer, I don't need to prove it, because they have not proved it's a medical necessity. I would vote to err on the side of safety. The problem for them was it was shown the companies concealed that associative data for years. That fact alone would have convinced me THEY thought it was bad. One Reynolds exec told another: "We sell these we don't use them."

I, since I am more open than many to 'associative evidence', was easily persuaded about that link. Others, particularly smokers, were more impressed by the arguments of the manufacturers. Of course most of them are now long since dead.

In the end we have to decide what we'll believe and I have to use logic in a lot of cases.jmoRodney.> Like I said, the salting food issue is never going to be settled, certainly not in this group. There's no proof for adding salt to food for health reasons, like for vit A, D or Calcium. And that's what the lawsuit should be discussing. > My argument is logical - why don't they have to PROVE it to ADD it? I personally don't care what people eat, I take exception for implying it needs to be added to ALL foods as if it's a healthy thing. They have yet to prove to my satisfaction that being "fit", exercising a lot, reducing weight more than 25%, eating fish, or "Looking" "fit" has any health attributes. They're just associations.

[Guest guest]

--- In , " jwwright " <jwwright@e...>

wrote:

> Dr. Duke's

> Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

> Chemicals in: Lactuca sativa L. (Asteraceae) -- Lettuce

> SODIUM Leaf 28 - 18,560 ppm DUKE1992A

>

> check my math:

> 18500 ppm

> 0.0185 gm/gm

> 1.85 gms/100 gms

> 1850 mgs/100 gms

Hi All,

Try 20 mg/100 g as in http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-001-

02s01wr.html

You will live.

Cheers, Al Pater.

[Guest guest]

Hi Alan,

Why do you give that site more credibility than Duke's data? A lot of Duke's is in SR17. They don't always use the top value, sometimes they average it, but even the average is high. The stuff I buy I have no idea the Na content. I don't think it's tested.

Regards.

----- Original Message -----

From: old542000

Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 4:05 PM

Subject: [ ] Re: Salt and cramps

> Dr. Duke's> Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases> Chemicals in: Lactuca sativa L. (Asteraceae) -- Lettuce> SODIUM Leaf 28 - 18,560 ppm DUKE1992A> > check my math:> 18500 ppm> 0.0185 gm/gm> 1.85 gms/100 gms> 1850 mgs/100 gmsHi All, Try 20 mg/100 g as in http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-001-02s01wr.htmlYou will live.Cheers, Al Pater.

[Guest guest]

Hi Logan:

Thanks for that input re Na/K ratio. Certainly if that is a major

factor in hypertension it had not sunk in with me.

But how do the naturopathy people 'know' that that is the key factor

in hypertension unless someone somewhere did a carefully controlled

study that demonstated it, and which was confirmed by at least one

other study? If such studies have been published everyone at

would greatly benefit from having a reference to them

posted.

My impression has been, and remains, that overwhelmingly the most

important known cause of hypertension is excess weight. I.E. there

is an excellent correlation between BMI and hypertension. (Of course

it is not the ONLY factor). And, since practising CRON results in a

substantial reduction in BMI that, at least in part, explains the

absolutely astonishing average BP in the WUSTL study of 100/60.

Here is one study that appears to argue powerfully for excess weight

as a (THE?) major issue in BP:

" Diet-related factors, educational levels and blood pressure in a

Chinese population sample: findings from the Japan-China ative

Research Project.

Yamori Y, Liu L, Mu L, Zhao H, Pen Y, Hu Z, Kuga S, Negishi H, Ikeda

K; Japan-China ative Study Group: Chongqing Project.

World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research on

Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases, Kyoto, Japan.

As part of the Japan-China ative Research Project of the WHO-

Cardiovascular Disease and Alimentary Comparison Study, a cross-

sectional study was carried out to investigate risk factors for high

blood pressure (BP) in male adults in Chongqing, China. Subjects with

hypertension (HT) were defined as those if they had systolic BP (SBP)

> or = 140 mmHg or diastolic BP (DBP) > or = 90 mmHg or if they were

receiving anti-hypertensive drug therapy. Subjects were also

categorized into three groups according to their level of education,

i.e., low- (< or = 6 years), intermediate- (7-9 years), or high- (>

or = 10 years) level education. The results were as follows. (a)

20.3% of subjects had HT, 16.7% had hypercholesterolemia (serum total

cholesterol > or = 220 mg/dl), and 23.4% were overweight (body mass

index > or = 25 kg/m2). ( After adjustment for age, SBP and DBP

showed a significant positive association with body mass index,

urinary sodium (Na) excretion, and total cholesterol (TC) to high-

density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL). SBP and DBP

tended to be negatively associated with 24 h urinary potassium (K)

and magnesium (Mg) excretion. © Subjects with the highest

educational level had the lowest prevalence of HT (11.6%), followed

by those with the low (22.6%) and the intermediate (25.0%)

educational levels (p<0.05). (d) Logistic regression analysis

indicated that the relative risks (95%CI) of being overweight, high

TC/HDL ratio, high Na excretion and lower educational level (<10

years) for risk of HT were 5.39 (2.42-11.98), 1.73 (1.13-2.63), 1.30

(1.06-1.58), and 2.56 (1.41-6.71) respectively. (e) Subjects with the

highest educational level had significantly lower Na, significantly

lower Na/K ratio excretion, and significantly higher K and Mg

excretion values than those with intermediate or low educational

levels. In conclusion, BP was strongly associated with BMI, salt

intake and other diet-related factors in the study sample. The

results emphasize that education plays an important role in public

health for the control of high BP in the Chinese population.

PMID: 12358141 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] "

You will note that the relative risk of BMI is a **HUGE** 5.39, while

for sodium excretion (=intake?) the relative risk is a mere 1.30.

They also note that a lower Na/K ratio is associated with education

level which had a relative risk of 2.56 in their study. But the

abstract does not seem to show the relative risk associated with K or

Na/K ratio.

Rodney.