It has been said that the eye is the window to the soul, but physicians know the eyes can tell a lot about the health of the arteries throughout the body. In fact, when your doctor examines your eyes, he or she is looking at the back of the eye to study the retinal arteries. The narrower these arteries are, the more likely you are to have high blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is called the “silent killer” and must be carefully managed.

Television and High Blood Pressure

In a fascinating study out of Australia, experts studied 6- and 7-year-olds and looked at how much time they spent in front of screen – whether it was a computer or television – versus how much time the children spent playing outside. The study’s authors then took pictures of the arteries in the back of the participants’ eyes with digital photography. They found a correlation between artery size and activity level.

The more a child sat in front of a screen, the narrower the arteries in the back of the eye were. These children also had an increased risk of having high blood pressure in their early years.

It is important to emphasize that it is not sitting in front of a screen that is causing the narrowing of the arteries – it is the fact that children are doing so instead of exercising. The take-home message is that your child needs to be physically active every day. Try to minimize the amount of time he or she spends in front of a screen.

Is sea salt really healthier?

Another factor in hypertension is salt intake. Salt or sodium is really a critical element for our bodies. It helps with our fluid balance as well as with nerve and muscle contractions and conduction. However, too much salt is one of the chief culprits for hypertension. Most Americans consume twice as much sodium as recommended daily.

Another interesting study surveyed participants to judge their knowledge about salt. Only 25% knew the correct amount of sodium adults should consume daily, which is 1,500 milligrams. Interestingly, most respondents thought most people get extra salt from the salt shaker. However, that’s not the case. Seventy-five percent of the excess salt we consume comes from processed food.

Finally, the study found that most participants believed sea salt was healthier than traditional table salt and had less sodium. I hate to tell you, but that is not true either. Gram for gram, table salt and sea salt have the same amount of sodium. While sea salt has larger crystals and may taste better – in fact, I use it myself – it is not healthier.

The take-home message? You can certainly use sea salt if you prefer the taste, but we all need to reduce our salt intake. Make some simple swaps when flavoring your food: use sodium-free spices and herbs or lemon juice instead of extra salt.

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