Aug 17, 2019 07:56 PM
https://theconversation.com/there-is-no-...ess-120874
EXCERPT (Feng J He): . . . most people consume way too much salt, increasing the burden of cardiovascular disease around the world. Health professionals have been trying to tackle this problem for decades, but face several barriers, including research that muddies the water about what safe levels of salt intake are. This has cast unnecessary doubt on the importance of reducing intakes. But our latest research has found flaws in these studies and suggests that salt intake should be reduced even further than current recommendations.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that people consume less than 5g of salt a day, but global intakes average 10g a day. Excess salt consumption raises blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attacks, heart failure and stroke.
Many studies show a linear relationship between salt intake and cardiovascular disease: as salt intake increases [...] But other studies suggest that the relationship between salt consumption and disease is not linear. They posit that consuming both less than 7.5g and more than 12.5g of salt per day could lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and early death. But there are flaws in the methods used in these studies.
[...] When we analysed the data, we found a direct linear relationship between salt intake and the risk of death down to a salt intake level of 3g a day. ... So the message remains clear: salt reduction saves lives, and the findings from studies that use a less reliable assessment of salt intake should not be used to derail critical public health policy or divert action. (MORE - details)
EXCERPT (Feng J He): . . . most people consume way too much salt, increasing the burden of cardiovascular disease around the world. Health professionals have been trying to tackle this problem for decades, but face several barriers, including research that muddies the water about what safe levels of salt intake are. This has cast unnecessary doubt on the importance of reducing intakes. But our latest research has found flaws in these studies and suggests that salt intake should be reduced even further than current recommendations.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that people consume less than 5g of salt a day, but global intakes average 10g a day. Excess salt consumption raises blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attacks, heart failure and stroke.
Many studies show a linear relationship between salt intake and cardiovascular disease: as salt intake increases [...] But other studies suggest that the relationship between salt consumption and disease is not linear. They posit that consuming both less than 7.5g and more than 12.5g of salt per day could lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and early death. But there are flaws in the methods used in these studies.
[...] When we analysed the data, we found a direct linear relationship between salt intake and the risk of death down to a salt intake level of 3g a day. ... So the message remains clear: salt reduction saves lives, and the findings from studies that use a less reliable assessment of salt intake should not be used to derail critical public health policy or divert action. (MORE - details)