Eating a high-salt diet for several years is associated with markers of blood vessel damage like high uric acid and presence of albumin in the urine. People with any of these markers of blood vessel damage, who eat a high-salt diet are more likely to develop high blood pressure.

A study published in the American Heart Association journal, Circulation, analyzed the association between sodium consumption and blood levels of uric acid and albumin in the urine — both markers of blood vessel damage. Higher sodium intake was associated with increasing levels of uric acid and albumin over time. The higher the levels of these markers, the greater the risk of developing hypertension if dietary salt intake was high. Compared with participants eating the least amount of sodium (2.2 g/day), those eating the most (6.2 g/day) were 21% more likely to develop high BP. Those who had high uric acid levels and ate the most salt were 32% more likely to develop high BP, while those with high urine albumin levels and highest salt intake were 86% more likely to develop high BP. A high-salt diet is believed to be responsible for 20-40% of all cases of high BP.