A UM researcher is part of a global study examining the effects of saltier water on blood pressure.
Unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and smoking are well-known risk factors for hypertension or high blood pressure.
But Dr. Setor Kunutsor, Evelyn Wyrzykowski Research Chair in Cardiology and a professor of internal medicine in the Max Rady College of Medicine, said recent studies show that environmental factors may also play a role. Ambient temperature, as well as air and water pollutants, can contribute to hypertension.
In a recent study published in BMJ Global Health, Kunutsor partnered with an international group of researchers to explore whether hypertension may be linked to drinking-water salinity – the salt content in drinking water.
Kunutsor said groundwater – which makes up nearly half of the world’s drinking water – can become salty as rain and surface water seep into the ground and pick up minerals.
“We didn’t know whether this salinity is an environmental risk factor for hypertension and heart disease,” he said. “The studies available are quite limited and the results are inconsistent. So we combined all that evidence to look for a clear pattern.”
The research team conducted a systematic literature review, gathering all studies that reported associations between drinking-water salinity and cardiovascular outcomes such as high blood pressure. They compiled 27 studies, involving more than 74,000 participants from Australia, Bangladesh, Israel, Kenya, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.
“We were able to show that higher salinity in drinking water was associated with higher levels of blood pressure and a 26 per cent increased risk of hypertension,” Kunutsor said. “The associations were also stronger in coastal populations and in studies conducted after 2000.”
Climate change and rising sea levels are causing sodium levels to increase, he added.
“Sea water is moving into fresh water,” Kunutsor said. “In many coastal populations especially in low- and middle-income countries, people depend heavily on groundwater and may not have access to treated municipal water systems.”
Kunutsor said sodium levels in developed communities typically range from 20 to 50 milligrams per litre, compared with levels of more than 200 milligrams per litre in high-sodium areas.
“Drinking-water salinity is unlikely to be a concern in developed communities like Winnipeg,” he said. “But for rural and remote communities outside of Winnipeg that depend on untreated freshwater and open water sources, that may be a cause for concern.”
Kunutsor shared several recommendations, including:
“Small increases in blood pressure matter at a population level,” Kunutsor said. “A two- to three-millimitre mercury rise in average blood pressure can translate into a meaningful increase in cardiovascular risk.”
Learn more about Dr. Kunutsor and his research, visit:
To read the full publication, visit:
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