This Simple Diet Tweak Lowers Blood Pressure in 72% of People Over 50

More than half of adults in the United States are living with high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is often referred to as the “silent killer,” because it typically doesn’t present many symptoms. So if people aren’t getting regular checkups, they often don’t find out about it until it’s too late.

If you haven’t been to the doctor in a while, that’s your reminder to go ASAP. But if you know you’re living with hypertension or you want to avoid getting it down the road, a new study out of the University of Alabama and published in the Journal of the American Medicine Association found that reducing salt intake can have a significant impact on blood pressure, even in those who were already on medication.