Problem
Derrick is a 35-year old African American advertising executive with a very hectic schedule. He's fairly active, has a BMI of 23, and is in generally good health. However, at his annual physical, his doctor discovered that Derrick has high blood pressure. Derrick assures his doctor that he eats well and can't understand why his numbers are so high. Derrick's doctor recommends that he limit his salt intake and eat more whole foods rather than packaged products. Derrick takes his doctor's advice to heart and takes the time to prepare some of his favorite meals. He takes a ham and cheese on rye sandwich to work instead of ordering Chinese food with his coworkers, even though it means giving up his favorite dish, General Tso's Chicken. For dinner he has smoked trout with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli rather than his usual frozen dinners that have about 650mg of sodium. He no longer salts his food at the table. Derrick even replaces his usual snack of salted peanuts with dry cereal, his favorite being Corn Flakes. His bedtime snack is now a pudding cup instead of chips or salty, buttery popcorn. Derrick sips on water or 100% fruit juice during the day, but he rarely drinks milk.
After a month on his new diet, Derrick returns to his doctor, confident that his numbers are down. To his surprise, his blood pressure remains unchanged! "I don't understand! I don't put salt on anything and I'm eating whole foods!" he laments to his doctor.
Explain how sodium is a contributing factor to Derrick's hypertension, detailing the role(s) that sodium plays in the body that affect blood pressure. You will need to defend your answer using specific facts, data, and other information drawn from the textbook and at least one other supplemental source.