Cutting back salt may be worse for heart health: Study

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November 9, 2011 2:51 PM

Cutting back salt may be worse for heart health: Study

By

Jaslow<http://www.cbsnews.com/2102-504763_162-57321659.html?contributor=10470092\

>

[Description: salt, sodium, salt shaker, stock, 4x3](Credit: istockphoto)

(CBS) Cutting back on salt might not be all it's cracked up to be for heart

health. A new study suggests reducing dietary salt intake may actually raise

several risk factors for heart disease.

" I can't really see, if you look at the total evidence, that there is any reason

to believe there is a net benefit of decreasing sodium intake in the general

population, " study author Dr. Niels Graudal, a senior consultant at Copenhagen

University Hospital in Denmark, told

Reuters<http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/09/us-salt-health-idUSTRE7A84HS20\

111109>.

Previous research has shown that cutting back on salt lowers blood pressure, so

it has long been assumed that reducing sodium would also prevent cardiovascular

disease and stroke. To find out for sure, researchers reviewed 167 salt studies,

but looked at other factors related to heart health besides blood pressure.

What did the researchers uncover? Reducing salt intake did lower blood pressure

as expected, but it caused a 2.5 percent increase in cholesterol and a 7 percent

increase triglycerides. The researchers also found dietary salt reduction caused

kidneys to produce more enzymes and hormones that regulate the body's salt

levels, which in turn cause the body to retain more salt. All these increases

were considered significant, and could be harmful for cardiovascular health, the

researchers said.

The researchers' bottom line?

" In my opinion, people should generally not worry about their salt intake, "

Graudal told HealthDay<http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=658737>.

The findings are published in the Nov. 9 issue of the American Journal of

Hypertension<http://www.nature.com/ajh/index.html>.

In July, another review found " no clear benefit " to cutting back salt, saying it

did not reduce the likelihood of dying from heart disease or having a heart

attack, CBS

News<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20077149-10391704.html?tag=mncol;lst\

;2> reported.

Some experts disputed the new study.

" Over 50 public health organizations can't be wrong on this one, " Dr. Lawrence

Appel, professor of medicine, epidemiology, and international health at s

Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, told

WebMD<http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20111108/new-research-calls-salt-g\

uidelines-into-question>.

Should Americans stay put when it comes to their salt intake?

" Certainly I would not tell my patients not to lower their sodium because it

might then raise your cholesterol, " Dr. Tara Narula, a cardiologist at Lenox

Hill Hospital in New York City, told WebMD. " I'd be hard pressed to find other

cardiologists who would say that based on this study that they would not

recommend low-sodium diets to people, especially those that have hypertension

and heart failure. "

The CDC <http://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/sodium.htm> recommends a daily sodium

intake for Americans of 2,300 mg a day and also recommends that certain groups

consume 1,500 mg or less each day, including Americans over 51 years old,

African-Americans, and people with hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney

disease.

Read more:

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