Lets say you break up a group of risk individuals into three groups.
Group 1 - eats a low sodium diet of 1500mg/day
Group 2 - eats a high sodium diet, but takes a HTN diuretic that removes sodium
Group 3 - eats a low sodium diet of 1500mg/day and takes a HTN diuretic that removes sodium
I am sure studies like this have been done, what are the results? Does taking a diuretic lower the risk of CVD risks as much as a low sodium diet? Does combining a low sodium diet with a diuretic lower the risk more than just doing one, or does it just increase the risk of hyponatremia
What role does potassium play in all this too? It was my understanding that a high potassium diet will cause your kidneys to purge sodium. So does increasing potassium levels either via through diet or medications cause the same CVD benefits as a low sodium diet?
Would a high potassium diet have comparable effects on CVD risk as a low sodium diet (ie, does eating more potassium lower your CVD risk the same way eating less salt does)? What role would a HTN medication that increases potassium like an ARB play as a substitute for a low salt diet?
Group 4 - eats a high sodium diet, but also eats a high potassium diet (lots of processed foods and fruits)
Group 5 - eats a high sodium diet and a normal potassium diet, but also takes a HTN medication that increases blood potassium levels like an ARB.
What results would these 5 groups have in CVD risk?