The Food Industry's Overuse of Salt Contributes to 100,000 American Deaths A Year: Think Progress

[Stuart G]

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/04/05/1827821/food-industry-salt/

Think Progress, from: British Medical Journal

By Sy Mukherjee on Apr 5, 2013 at 5:20 pm


In a new study published in the online edition of the British Medical Journal, researchers write that a 50 percent reduction in daily salt intake “could prevent approximately 100,000 deaths from heart attack and stroke in the United States every year.” Curbing salt intake by that high a margin is certainly a mean feat — but not because Americans are saturating their food with sodium. Rather, study authors suggest that the real culprits are food makers who douse their products with harmful levels of salt.

Results from the controlled study — which measured the blood pressures of 3,000 adults who dramatically curbed their salt intake over the course of a month — indicated an average five point drop in systolic blood pressure, confirming similar findings previously published in the Journal. Last month, Harvard researchers conducting a separate study also found that excess sodium was linked to one in ten American deaths. Since high blood pressure is the number one risk factor associated with heart disease and stroke, the findings suggest that U.S. public health would benefit substantially from lower salt consumption.
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Restaurants and Salt: A case in point...Olive Garden...
A couple of years ago, 2 friends and I went to the Olive Garden for Dinner. We got into this argument about "salt" ..so..when we got back to the house, we looked up how much salt was in each meal. The three of us averaged about 2200mg per meal. Evidently the Olive Garden publishes this info for its customers for some reason... an individual watching salt, should get no more than 2000 mg per day. each meal had more...also... their dinner rolls or whatever they are called...each had over 500 mg of salt ..each one..Haven't been back since..

[alp227]

1. link to the study

http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f1325

[egold2604]

2. low salt diet has ruined eating prepared foods

My wife and I eat a low salt diet. We only add salt at the table and then very small amounts. Last night we had some left over ham stew (left over ham from easter, and root vegetables). We also had a vegan greens dish. The contrast was amazing. The salt in the ham was overwhelming. I told my wife about year ago when I stopped using salt when cooking that I bought a frozen Stouffer's Creamed Spinach and couldn't finish it because of all the salt.

I guess people get used to anything.

[Stuart G]

3. Very good point..People get used to anything.

Further , after a while, those who think a lot of salt is the way things are supposed to be...start being unsatisfied when they eat "low salt foods..I think it takes a couple of weeks to "desalt" ourselves...Then, like you said, the "oversalted stuff" tastes very bad and inappropriate...wrong, like it really is "too much" Most people won't got through the truble of "desalting themselves" even if it prevents strokes or heart attacks. It isn't easy but blood presssure goes down without salt..or very low salt diets..Say 1500 mg a day..