Re: Salt is OK, apparently

Salt reduction could save 92,000 U.S. lives a year.

Shaving 3 grams off the daily salt intake of Americans could prevent up to 66,000 strokes, 99,000 heart attacks and 92,000 deaths in the United States, while saving $24 billion in health costs per year, researchers reported on Wednesday.

The benefit to the U.S. population would be comparable to cutting smoking by 50 percent, significantly lowering obesity rates and giving cholesterol drugs to virtually everyone to prevent heart attacks, said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo of the University of California, San Francisco and colleagues. Such a goal, they said, is readily attainable.

Salt, which contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease, is widely overused in the United States, with 75 to 80 percent coming from processed food. Men typically consume 10.4 grams per day. For women, the average is 7.3 grams. Its use is rising.

A reduction of 1 gram would prevent 11,000 to 23,000 strokes, 18,000 to 35,000 heart attacks and 15,000 to 32,000 deaths from any cause, the researchers reported in New England Journal of Medicine. Women would benefit the most.

"Even if the federal government were to bear the entire cost of a regulatory program designed to reduce salt consumption, the government would still be expected to realize cost savings for Medicare, saving $6 to $12 in health expenditures for each dollar spent on the regulatory program," the researchers wrote.

In a commentary, Dr. Lawrence Appel and Cheryl Anderson of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said the new study may be underestimating the benefits. They said it did not take into account how it would help children or the fact that lower salt intake may reduce the risk of stomach cancer, kidney disease, congestive heart failure and osteoporosis.

Dr. Ralph Cinque's comments (Natural Hygienic Physician)...........................
I don't have any trouble accepting this. Normally, the human body requires only about half a gram of sodium a day. There are some exceptions, such as those who have Addison's disease, where they cannot conserve sodium, and so they require more. But these exceptions are rare, and the vast majority of people take in way too much salt. And, it's possible to get way too much salt without ever picking up a salt shaker. Bread, cheese, frozen foods, canned foods, and restaurant meals are all loaded with salt. Then, if you add highly salty processed foods, such as chips and pretzels, you can easily ingest over 10 grams of salt a day, and again, that's without even picking up a salt shaker. I know a lot of people who scrupulously avoid all salt- except for what naturally occurs in fruits and vegetables. And they get by just fine. So, it shows how little salt we really need. I can't say that I avoid all salt. I don't eat cheese, but I do eat whole grain bread which has some salt, and I also eat vegetarian soups and vegetarian frozen dinners that have some salt, although usually in the form of Sea Salt . However, I do watch my salt intake. I definitely keep it below 2000 mgs a day, and most days it comes in below 1500 mgs. I feel that I can get away with that, but if I had kidney or heart problems, I would aim for lower yet. And I apply the same standard to others: I think that if you are healthy otherwise, you can get away with a little extra salt, but don't push it. Be diligent about keeping your daily salt consumption below 2000 mgs. Tweet