Eat Too Little Salt?
It has long been held that a diet high in salt is dangerous to the heart, raising the risk of heart attack and stroke.
But, in a dramatic U-turn, the scientific evidence has suggested the opposite can also be true.
A global study has found that contrary to past belief, low-salt diets may not be beneficial.
Rather, they can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and death, compared with average salt consumption.Meanwhile, in Canada, typical sodium intake is between 3.5 and 4g per day.
However, some guidelines have suggested that the entire population lower their salt intake to below 2.3g a day – a level that fewer than five percent of Canadians and people around the world consume.
In the past, some research has shown that low-salt diets, compared to average intake, is linked to increased cardiovascular risk and mortality, even though low sodium intake is linked to lower blood pressure.
This new study shows that the risks linked with low-salt intake – classified as less than three grams a day – are consistent regardless of a patient’s blood pressure.
Further, the findings show that while there is a limit below which sodium intake may be unsafe, the harm associated with high sodium consumption appears to be confined to only those with hypertension.
Only about 10 percent of the population in the global study had both hypertension and high sodium consumption – defined as greater than six grams per day.
The post Eat Too Little Salt? appeared first on LewRockwell.
Leave a Reply