Over 60 With High Blood Pressure? Cardiologists Say To Steer Clear of This Snack

If high blood pressure is something you worry about, we don’t blame you—it’s a common affliction: One in four adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

It’s also more common as we age: The average age someone is diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure) is 46, which is really quite young. If blood pressure remains high, it can be life-threatening. And on that note, the average age someone has a first heart attack is 65 for men and 72 for women. This means it’s especially important to be proactive about supporting your cardiovascular health after 60. 

What’s encouraging about high blood pressure is that it doesn’t have to be permanent; it can be lowered with a combination of medication and diet and lifestyle changes. That means you have the power to lower your risk of life-threatening cardiovascular events.  

If you’re among the 25% of the population with high blood pressure, your doctor has likely talked to you about how your food choices can impact your blood pressure, for better or for worse. You know to avoid fatty meats like bacon and sausage for breakfast and to be mindful of how much salt you season your food with at dinner. 

While you may have changed up your meals to be more heart-healthy, what about your snacks? Snacktime is often when many people turn to ultra-processed foods because they want something quick to munch on. There’s one type of snack in particular that cardiologists say can make blood pressure worse that many people aren’t aware of.

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The Snack That Negatively Impacts Blood Pressure, According to Cardiologists

While sweets often get a bad rap, people who prefer savory snacks need to be mindful of their food choices too. Ultra-processed savory snack foods are often high in salt, which cardiologists say can be detrimental to blood pressure. 

“Eating high-sodium foods, like salted pretzels, can increase blood pressure in the short term. The increase can be seen within a few hours and can be variable depending on how sensitive an individual is to salt,” saysDr. Joy Gelbman, MD, a cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine. In other words, a salty snack negatively impacts blood pressure just shortly after eating it—sooner than many people realize! 

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Dr. Srihari S. Naidu, MD, FACC, a cardiologist and professor at New York Medical College, explains that sodium causes water retention in the body through the kidneys. “Since water is a major contributor to blood, it also increases the blood volume. The more blood in the arteries, the more the blood pressure must rise, unless the arteries dilate or expand to accommodate it,” he says.

Some popular savory snacks have more sodium than many people realize. For example, a half cup of salted pretzels has 1,120 milligrams of sodium. To put this in perspective, the American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day and ideally staying under 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day.

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Other snacks that have more sodium than many people may realize are pickles (849 milligrams of sodium in a serving size of three pickles), beef jerky (590 milligrams in one stick) and salted peanuts (320 milligrams of sodium in a half-cup serving). 

If you have snacks like these regularly, it can have long-term consequences on your cardiovascular health. Dr. Paul Bhella, MD, an internal medicine doctor and professor at Texas Christian University’s Burnett School of Medicine, says it can cause blood pressure to remain high. This, he explains, can lead to the heart’s walls and blood vessels to become thick, which can lead to stroke and premature death.

“High blood pressure is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including atherosclerosis, which is the blockage of the arteries. Blockages are the cause of heart attacks and stroke, in particular, but can also cause kidney damage and other organ damage over time,” Dr. Naidu reveals, explaining another reason why having high blood pressure long-term is dangerous.

Related: The One Habit That Can Lower Your Blood Pressure Overnight, According to a Cardiologist

Heart-Healthy Ways To Satisfy a Craving for a Savory Snack

Salty foods aren’t the only way to satisfy a craving for something savory. “For people who crave salty foods and are seeking savory snacks, consider options such as unsalted popcorn, baked low-sodium chips, cut vegetables and roasted chickpeas,” says Dr. Gelbman. She adds that you can add flavor by seasoning them with herbs and spices, such as pepper, rosemary, garlic or paprika.

All three doctors say that using herbs and spices to add flavor instead of salt not only cuts down on sodium, it also supports cardiovascular health. “Herbs and spices can have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering properties, which may further improve cardiovascular health beyond sodium reduction,” Dr. Gelbman says.

If you do want a salty snack, Dr. Bhella says it’s still okay to have, just make sure to be mindful of the amount of sodium in that snack and how much you’re consuming for the rest of the day.

When it comes to heart health, everything you eat matters—snacks included! By minimizing sodium in both meals and snacks, you’ll be taking a major step toward lowering your blood pressure. And it just may lead you to discover some new spices to love!

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This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the Health & Wellness section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.