"Although cutting back on salt does lower blood pressure, new research finds that it may also increase levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and other risk factors for heart disease.
At this point, though, it's not entirely clear what the findings mean for long-term health, according to the study, which appears online Nov. 9 in the American Journal of Hypertension.
"In my opinion, people should generally not worry about their salt intake," said study author Dr. Niels Graudal, senior consultant in internal medicine and rheumatology at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark.
For decades, health experts have been saying that reducing sodium consumption lowers the risk for heart disease and stroke. And there's a powerful new government push to reduce salt in prepared and processed foods.
New U.S. dietary guidelines now recommend that people aged 2 and older limit daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg).
People aged 51 and older, blacks and anyone with high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease should consider going down to 1,500 mg per day, many experts say. And the American Heart Association believes the 1,500-milligram-a-day recommendation should apply to all Americans.
The average American probably consumes 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day which, by these standards, is way too much. But is it?
One European study recently found that lower sodium excretion was associated with an increased risk of heart-related deaths and higher sodium excretion was not linked with increased risks for blood pressure or complications from heart disease in healthy people.
The study published this week reviewed data from 167 studies that compared high-sodium diets to low-sodium diets.
Less salt did lower blood pressure in whites, blacks and Asians who had either normal blood pressure or high blood pressure.
But this came with significant increases in levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, the enzyme renin (involved in regulating blood pressure) and the hormones noradrenaline and adrenaline (which can affect blood pressure and heart rate).
It's unclear at this point if these changes would translate, over the long run, into more heart attacks or strokes.
But the findings do raise the issue that not all salt consumers are created equal.
"There are those who are more salt-sensitive than others," said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a preventive cardiologist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
As for the general public, the message is still the same: Less salt is probably better for your health, Steinbaum said.
And even people who do keep their sodium intake within normal bounds should know that might not be enough.
"People need to moderate their lifestyle with better mineral intake, more plant-based foods and more exercise in their daily lives," said Karen Congro, director of the Wellness for Life Program at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City. "Sodium reduction is not going to solve their problems 100 percent."
Potassium offsets sodium in the body, and if you're going to consume "normal" levels of salt, you need to consume enough potassium to offset it (I think the last ratio I heard was 4:1 potassium to sodium, but please look it up before diving into the potassium--too much can kill you).
I already reduce my sodium intake to about 700 grams daily, and offset it with supplements, avocado and coconut water consumption, and other high-potassium foods other than beans (kidney and black beans used to be my mainstay, because they provide astronomical amounts of potassium per serving, but then the allergies kicked in).
No matter how we choose to offset the sodium, we have to redouble our efforts as we age--our arteries get narrower, and our pressure goes up as a result. No heart problem required! It's completely normal, but then there's the pesky drug salesmen to keep away. We shouldn't be expected to have the blood pressure of a 25-year-old when we're 50, but Big Pharma says otherwise, and tells your doctor (through the AHA lobby) the same.
So how do we expand our arteries as we age? All I know is exercise, and keeping them free of obstructions with fish oil. Go ahead and look to see if there's anything new out there.
As far as the shaker goes, I'd recommend switching it for sea-originating varieties because:
1. sea salts are alkaline--important for gout sufferers
2. some types of sea-originating salt are really low in sodium (nori and dulse)--yes, they're flaked seaweed, but if you have to have the taste of salt, this is the way to go. Otherwise, be happy with the salt the (whole) food came with.
Potassium-based salt substitutes are bitter, sharp on the tongue, and seem to have lots of competition from consumers doing the DASH diet or just following doctor's orders. In other words, be prepared for empty shelf space when looking for this stuff. When you DO find it, stock up.
I use NuSalt for my cat food, because it seems to be the least rejected one of the bunch, and my vet says not to use any other potassium for them other than those products. Knowing what I know about the citrates (calcium and potassium), I figured potassium citrate would be best absorbed by the cats, but apparently nobody ever bothered to test companion animals to find this out.
I'm not experimenting either.
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