Time to Shake the Salt
Habit?
The
love affair between U.S. residents and salt is making us sick: high sodium
intake increases blood pressure, and leads to higher rates of heart attack and
strokes. Nonetheless, Americans continue to ingest far higher amounts of sodium
than those recommended by physicians and national guidelines.
A
balanced review of the relevant literature has been published in the March 27,
2013 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.Theodore A.
Kotchen, MD, professor of medicine (endocrinology), and associate dean for
clinical research at the Medical College of Wisconsin, is the lead author of
the article.
Dr. Kotchen cites correlations between blood pressure and salt intake in a number of different studies; typically, the causation between lowering salt intake and decreased levels of blood pressure occur in individuals who have been diagnosed with hypertension.
Although not as pronounced, there is also a link between salt intake and blood pressure in non-hypertensive individuals. Additionally, recent studies have demonstrated that a reduced salt intake is associated with decreased cardiovascular disease and decreased mortality.
In
national studies in Finland and Great Britain, instituting a national
salt-reduction program led to decreased sodium intake. In Finland, the
resulting decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressures corresponded to a
75 -- 80 percent decrease in death due to stroke and coronary heart disease.
Nevertheless,
not all investigators concur with population-based recommendations to lower
salt intake, and the reasons for this position are reviewed.
"Salt
is essential for life, but it has been difficult to distinguish salt need from
salt preference," said Dr. Kotchen. "Given the medical evidence, it
seems that recommendations for reducing levels of salt consumption in the
general population would be justifiable at this time." However, in terms
of safety, the lower limit of salt consumption has not been clearly identified.
In certain patient groups, less rigorous targets for salt reduction may be
appropriate.
Co-authors
are Allen W. Cowley, Jr., PhD, James J. Smith and Catherine Welsh Smith
Professor in Physiology, and Harry and Gertrude Hack Term Professor and
chairman of Physiology, the Medical College of Wisconsin; Edward D. Frohlich,
MD, Alton Ocshner Distinguished Scientist at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in
New Orleans, La.
Story Source:
The
above story is reprinted from materials provided by Medical College of
Wisconsin.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further
information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
1. Theodore A. Kotchen, Allen W. Cowley, Edward D.
Frohlich. Salt in Health and Disease — A Delicate Balance. New
England Journal of Medicine, 2013; 368 (13): 1229 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra1212606
