Is it that the heart is pumping too hard by itself or is it that the circulatory plumbing is constricting the flow too much thus forcing the heart to pump harder to maintain the same flow rate?
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In the vast majority of cases, high BP is due to increased resistance within the circulatory system: elevated inflammatory levels, plaque in the arteries, vasoconstriction, obesity, etc. The increased resistance “dampens” blood flow so, in response, the heart will pump faster and/or harder to increase pressure. Increased pressure is a response to increased resistance.
Low salt diets *can* decrease blood pressure in people with health problems, so we’ve associated salt intake directly with high BP. Correlation is not causation. In a healthy person, increased salt intake will rarely impact blood pressure to a significant degree.
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