pathway · Public research summary
Sodium, blood pressure and stroke
Lowering sodium intake lowers blood pressure in trials; raised blood pressure is a major, well-characterised risk factor for stroke.
Educational only. Associations do not establish individual risk or diagnosis. Read the original sources and limitations.
Illustrative pathway
High-sodium diet → Raised blood pressure → Stroke → Long-term disability
Relationship
Established causal link: Multiple lines of evidence, including experimental, converge.
Evidence and uncertainty
Randomised trials; low uncertainty.
Summary
Lowering sodium intake lowers blood pressure in trials; raised blood pressure is a major, well-characterised risk factor for stroke.
Limitations
Individual salt sensitivity varies widely. Habitual intake is hard to measure from diet recall; potassium intake and overall diet also matter.
Data status
Synthetic illustration only. Map widths are not patient counts, prevalence, study effect sizes or personal risks. A paper does not validate every arrow.
Regional browsing relevance
Global; East Asia; Europe; North America; Latin America & Caribbean