Another Dumb Health Recommendation Shown To Be False

[tex]

It seems that almost every week another health recommendation made by those who are claimed to be "health experts" either falls by the wayside or is shown to actually be harmful to health.

Salt is the latest in this seemingly never ending parade of bad advice that is being debunked these days. The American Heart Association continues to recommend no more than 1,500 mg of sodium in the average American's diet. But recent research shows that to have a negative effect on long-term health.

A controversial new study contends that a low-salt diet could be dangerous for your heart health.

Restricting dietary salt to below 3,000 milligrams a day appears to increase the risk for heart disease similar to that of high blood pressure patients who eat too much salt, said lead researcher Andrew Mente.

Fortunately most Americans are apparently smarter than the American Heart Association because their average salt intake is approximately 3,400 mg per day.

Mente said, based on his analysis, only people with high blood pressure need to worry about reducing salt intake.

He said his study results showed that a low-salt diet increases the risk of heart attack or stroke 26 percent for people without high blood pressure and 34 percent for people with high blood pressure.

For those with high blood pressure, too much dietary salt increases their risk 23 percent, the study said.

On the other hand, a diet with excess salt doesn't increase the risk at all if blood pressure is normal, the study reported.

Could a Low-Salt Diet Hurt Your Health?

Tex

[Erica P-G]

Geesh....

I find it hard to pay to close attention to, to many things....salt being about the bottom of my list. I don't over do, I like flavor on my food but I could never eat it doused in salt either. Since I don't eat but a couple boxed type items I wont be worrying about this recommendation

It's always something huh!
E

[T]

I cut out salt years ago when I was dx with high blood pressure 190/100 and only Lisinopril HCTZ (BP med with water pill) reduced my BP.
My BP has been to high ever since the beginning of MC so my NP doubled the dose BP stayed high.
Last year my sodium level was low so I decided heck with them and went back to salt as normal.
I started anxiety meds at the end of winter and now I think we have the right combination of 2 meds my BP
has been creeping back to normal range. After wasting A lot of time with A NP on anxiety meds.I went to A PSY.and now have progress.


Terry

[tex]

Hi Terry,

Last spring when my magnesium deficiency maxed out my BP was erratic, often running in the 160–180 range and sometimes higher (with lisinopril). After doubling my magnesium supplement it began to come down and now it's consistently in the 90–100 range (with lisinopril), 100–115 without lisinopril.

Tex