Salt and Heart Disease

[Guest guest]

From Dr. Mirkin:

" Dear Dr. Mirkin: Do people who restrict salt have lower rates of

heart attacks?

Surprisingly, a recent study found that Americans who consumed the

currently-recommended 2,300 mg/day of sodium had a 37 percent higher

chance of dying from heart attacks. Researchers from Albert Einstein

Medical School analyzed the Second United States National Health and

Nutrition Examination Survey and found that evidence linking sodium

intake to mortality outcomes is scant and inconsistent (American

Journal of Medicine, March 2006).

The results are unexpected because a high-salt diet can cause some

people to develop high blood pressure, which increases a person's

chances of suffering heart attacks and strokes. Perhaps the

explanation is that many people don't start restricting salt until

after they find out that they are at high risk. Most medical

authorities will continue to recommend diets low in salt, but salt

itself probably is not the culprit. For years I have recommended a

plant-based diet that is low in meats and processed foods. Meats are

naturally high in salt, and most processed foods contain a lot of

salt even if they don't taste salty. Fruits, vegetables, whole

grains, beans, seeds and nuts are naturally low in salt; and even if

some salt is added when they are cooked or at the table, these foods

will contain far less salt than most processed foods. "

The language is a bit ambiguous. This is fwiw.

Rodney.