Review raises questions over benefits of cutting salt

06.07.2011 [16:08]
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Baku, July 6 (AZERTAC). In an analysis likely to fuel a long-running debate over the health impacts of too much salt, researchers have found no evidence that moderate cuts to salt intake reduce the risk of developing heart disease or dying prematurely.

In a systematic review published by The Cochrane Library, British scientists found that while cutting salt consumption did appear to lead to slight reductions in blood pressure that was not translated into lower death or heart disease risk.

The researchers said they suspected that trials conducted so far were not big enough to show any benefits to heart health, and called for large-scale studies to be carried out soon.

Most experts are agreed that consuming too much salt is not good for you and that cutting salt intake can reduce hypertension in people with normal and high blood pressure.

But while previous trials have suggested there is a blood pressure benefit from lower salt intake, research has yet to show whether that translates into better overall heart health in the wider population.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, heart attacks and stroke, which are the world`s number one killers.

Many developed nations have government-sanctioned guidelines calling on people to cut their salt or sodium intake for the sake of their longer-term health. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists reducing salt intake among its top 10 "best buys" for reducing rates of chronic disease.

In Britain, the National Institute of Health and Clinical Guidance (NICE) has called for an acceleration of the reduction in salt in the general population from a maximum intake of 6 grams(g) a day for adults by 2015 to 3g by 2025.

U.S. guidelines recommend Americans consume less than 2.3g of salt daily, or 1.5g for certain people who are more at risk for high blood pressure or heart disease.

Review raises questions over benefits of cutting salt

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