Is under-salting not as good as they say?
Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University (New York), working under the guidance of Dr. Hillel W. Cohen, have found that a lack of sodium in the diet significantly increases the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases and, accordingly, is much more life-threatening than eating a large amount of salt.
The authors analyzed the results of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) conducted by the US federal government among a representative sample of the adult population of the country. The data obtained was compared with official death records recorded during 2000. The sample included approximately 8,700 Americans who do not adhere to a special salt-free diet, whose age at the time of the examination (1988-1994) was more than 30 years old.
The analysis of the results, carried out taking into account known risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure, showed that for representatives of the quarter of the sample who consumed the least amount of sodium, the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases was 80% higher than for the quarter of the sample who consumed the most sodium. The risk of death from any cause was 24% higher for people who consumed the least amount of salt, but this difference is not large enough to exclude the randomness factor.
The authors concluded that for the adult population as a whole, the consumption of large amounts of sodium is not an independent risk factor that increases the likelihood of death from cardiovascular diseases or other causes.
However, they emphasize that NHANES III was conducted as an observational study, and not as a clinical trial, so it is impossible to draw unambiguous causal conclusions based on its results. At the same time, the data obtained raise the question of the benefits or even safety of universal recommendations for reducing the amount of salt in the diet, regardless of blood pressure and other health parameters of individuals.
Article by Cohen et al. Sodium Intake and Mortality Follow-Up in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) accepted for publication in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of FoodNavigator23.05.2008