low salt / no salt diet is bad for health

His study, referred to commonly as The Best Evidence Study on Salt, has caused all the Low Salt / No Salt “experts” to cringe and crawl back into their holes.  Remember the people who told us years ago that margarine was good for us and not to eat real butter (HERE)?  What about the groups who told us that meat and eggs were the cause of heart attacks and high cholesterol (HERE)?  Or those who still claim that mercury and aluminum in vaccines is safe (HERE)? 

Folks like these have been telling us SINCE THE 1980’S that dietary salt was one of the main causes of high blood pressure, as well as a significantly increased chance of heart attack, stroke, and congestive heart failure.  Put that thought to rest because Dr Staessen’s team showed that lower salt intake was not only not good for you, it was actually associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease and death.  In fact, his teams’ research showed that the lower the dietary salt intake, the better your chances of morbidity (sickness) and / or mortality (death)!  Listen to their conclusion…..

“The associations between systolic pressure [High Blood Pressure — the top number] and sodium excretion [Dietary Salt Intake] did not translate into less morbidity [Deaths] or improved survival.  On the contrary, low sodium excretion [Dietary Salt Intake] predicted higher cardiovascular mortality [More Deaths due to Heart Attacks, Strokes, and Congestive Heart Failure].  Taken together, our current findings refute the estimates of computer models of lives saved and health care costs reduced with lower salt intake.  They also do not support the current recommendations of generalized and indiscriminate reduction of salt intake at the population level [Reduced Salt Intake for Everyone].“

If you have been told to avoid salt, please ask your doctor about this study.   Just be prepared for him / her to blow it off and tell you that these folks don’t know what they are talking about.  For more about SALT, just click the link.