Salt

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robertk
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Salt

Post by robertk »


https://www.crescent-news.com/on_the_wi ... 14f7c.html
It's hard to admit that you made a mistake. Many people dig in their heels and find ways to rationalize their point of view. That's true in health as well as in politics.

Take sodium, for example. The American Heart Association has been pushing the public for years to reduce sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg daily. Their experts believe that salt raises blood pressure and consequently increases the risk for heart attacks and strokes.

Very few people actually achieve the goal of limiting sodium intake to 1.5 grams or less. To do that, you would have to eliminate the saltshaker from the table. More importantly, you would have to avoid most processed foods, including soup, sandwiches, bread, crackers, chips, salsa, pizza, bacon, salad dressing, cereal and cookies.


How good is the evidence behind the low-salt policy? Over the past several years, a number of studies have questioned the benefits of drastic salt restriction.

The most recent was published in The Lancet and included data on approximately 95,000 middle-aged people in 18 different countries (Aug. 11, 2018). Urine tests were used to measure sodium and potassium intake, and the scientists followed up on their subjects for about eight years. They received information on blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks and deaths.

At moderate levels of intake (3 to 5 grams daily), increased sodium did raise blood pressure a little bit, but it lowered the risk of dying from a heart attack. People who consumed the least sodium were more susceptible to heart attacks and strokes. That flies in the face of the AHA recommendations.

Dr. Andrew Mente, the lead author on the study, notes that most people around the world consume between 3 and 5 grams of sodium daily. He suggests that such levels may actually be healthful.

People who consumed a lot of sodium (more than 5 grams a day) not only had elevated blood pressure but also a higher risk of strokes. Most of them were in China, where the source of sodium on the table is soy sauce rather than the saltshaker.

The most striking finding: More potassium is protective. People who got more potassium had a lower likelihood of heart attacks and strokes than those who consumed less. Perhaps this is why vegetables and fruits are so beneficial in our diets.

This is not the first study to suggest that following a very low sodium diet could backfire. A meta-analysis of 25 prior trials concluded that very low sodium and very high sodium intakes were both associated with an increased risk of death (American Journal of Hypertension, September 2014).

Dr. James DiNicolantonio of Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute has been critical of the move to restrict salt to extremely low levels. In a recent analysis, he joined with cardiologist Dr. James O'Keefe to conclude: "Prospective studies support the notion that those consuming the lowest amounts of salt are at the highest risk of cardiovascular events and premature death" (Current Opinion in Cardiology, July 2018
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robertk
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Re: Salt

Post by robertk »

https://www.pritikin.com/dangers-of-sal ... re-problem

There are many people who think, "I don't have to worry about my salt intake because my blood pressure is fine." That's not true, asserts research. The dangers of salt go well beyond high blood pressure.
In a review article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology,1 the authors concluded that “even in the absence of an increase in blood pressure, excess dietary sodium can adversely affect target organs, including the blood vessels, heart, kidneys and brain.”

The scientists, led by William Farquhar, PhD, of the University of Delaware, point out that most Americans need a mere 500 milligrams (mg) of sodium daily for “fluid balance… and a stable internal environment.”

But unfortunately, most of us consume far more – about six times as much, or 3,200 mg of sodium daily. This is more than double the 1,500 mg maximum per day recommended by health organizations like the American Heart Association. For more than five decades, a maximum of 1,500 mg of sodium daily has also been the recommendation of the Pritikin Eating Plan.

Salt is a mixture of 40% sodium and 60% chloride, or sodium-chloride. It is from salt that we get most of the sodium in our diet.

https://www.pritikin.com/dangers-of-sal ... re-problem
Dangers of Salt | Blood Vessels

Elevated sodium levels can negatively affect the function of the inner lining of the blood vessels, called the endothelium, report Dr. Farquhar and colleagues.

And the last thing we want to do is foul up our endothelium.

As Bruce Albert, MD, and co-authors wrote in their classic, in-depth textbook on cell biology, Molecular Biology of the Cell, “Almost all tissues depend on a blood supply, and the blood supply depends on endothelial cells.”2

The endothelium introduces all kinds of chemicals, like nitric oxide, which control how well our blood vessels expand and contract. Put simply, we want blood vessels with good elasticity; without it, they can’t stretch well with each pulse. They stiffen, making it harder for the heart to pump blood throughout the body. Eventually, the heart wears out. It’s called heart failure
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robertk
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Re: Salt

Post by robertk »

So with the experts in disagreement I like to approach this and other dietary matters in a calm Buddhist manner
. This is a pictorial representation of life at home.
38119246-FB6B-44F4-AA40-3FFD2E0D08DA.jpeg
dharmacorps
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Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2015 7:33 pm

Re: Salt

Post by dharmacorps »

Its amazing how the science behind these things is evolving. My grandfather had coronary bypass in the 1970s, and most of what the doctors had to tell him at the time was to avoid salt (he didn't listen of course, his favorite guilty pleasure was to go out by himself where nobody would criticize him and eat Japanese food with lots of soy sauce!).
SarathW
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Re: Salt

Post by SarathW »

I think what matters is consuming anything with moderation (even the poison food legally available to us)
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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