High-salt meals can cause heart symptoms

NEWARK, N.J., Nov. 24 (UPI) -- On Thanksgiving, Passover and Christmas, U.S. hospital emergency rooms often fill with people who down large meals loaded with salt, a physician says.

Dr. Marc Klapholz, a professor at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Medical School, says there can be far more salt in many holiday meals than people realize, and the proof can be found at hospital emergency rooms.

"Thanksgiving is one of the holidays around which this occurs, and it predominantly is related to salt intake from holiday meals," Klapholz says. "People tend not to watch their diets as well."

For people with heart disease, salt can be a very dangerous component of their food.

"Salt promotes additional water retention, and people who have weak hearts can be very sensitive to water retention and develop decompensated heart failure if they ingest significant amounts of salt," Klapholz says.

"They often experience shortness of breath, chest pains and sweating, which, in a very severe state, almost feels like they're drowning."

However, even those who have no known history of cardiac disease may show heart symptoms after ingesting a significant amount of salt and if that is the case, seek medical attention immediately, Klapholz advises.

"During the holiday time, we sometimes tend to minimize our symptoms," he says. "We don't want to burden family and friends with medical problems, but it's always important to acknowledge symptoms when they are occurring and to get medical attention quickly."