Make a New Assault on Salt

[Samuel]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/25/AR2007082500637.html

Make a New Assault on Salt
Saturday, August 25, 2007; 12:00 AM

SATURDAY, Aug. 25 (HealthDay News) -- If you're like most Americans, there's too much salt in your diet, which can lead to high blood pressure and increased risk of heart attack or stroke, experts warn.

The issue is so important that the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Heart Association, the American Dietetic Association and the U.S. National Institutes of Health have launched a campaign to cut Americans' salt intake by half. The AMA has even gone so far as to urge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to withdraw salt's designation as "safe."

The average American consumes 4,000 to 6,000 milligrams of salt per day. The FDA recommends a limit of 2,400 mg a day, while the Institute of Medicine recommends a maximum of 1,500 mg a day.

In the April 19, 2007 issue of theBritish Medical Journal, two studies found that reducing salt intake by 25 percent to 35 percent could cut the risk of cardiovascular disease by as much as 25 percent and lower the risk of death by 20 percent.

Many people mistakenly believe that simply removing the salt shaker from the table will solve the problem, but many kinds of packaged, processed and restaurant foods contain high levels of salt. It's used for taste, to preserve foods, and provide texture.

Here are some tips on how you can reduce your salt intake:

Identify foods that have a high salt (sodium) content.Limit your daily salt intake to between 1,500 and 2,400 milligrams.When dining out, ask for unsalted menu items.At home, use herbs and spices to season your food.Remove salt from recipes when possible.Don't put the salt shaker on your dining table.

[tie_guy]

I remember in the 80's when salt was thought to be the root of all evils. Salt does make you retain water but most people just eventually urinate it all out. When will this relentless attach on salt end? And if the low salt dogma is this slow in going away how long will the low fat dogma live?

[eryalen]

I remember reading that the original study that linked sodium to hypertension was only significant to one racial/gender group. In the '80s (or whenever) the political climate forbade identifying race or sex and so they they applied it to everyone. I suppose it was safe enough as we all use too much salt as a substitute for real taste.

[pennink]

For the salt sensitive, like me, it can be the end of your life. It nearly was for me.

Due to hypertension I have now got hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. There's no going back from this unless I get a new heart.
I was put on he DASH diet that drastically eliminates salt and watched my blood pressure plummet. Yes, if affects a lot of people. I'm a classic case.

[Lisa N]

For the salt sensitive, like me, it can be the end of your life. It nearly was for me.

Due to hypertension I have now got hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. There's no going back from this unless I get a new heart.
I was put on he DASH diet that drastically eliminates salt and watched my blood pressure plummet. Yes, if affects a lot of people. I'm a classic case.

It's estimated that between 10 and 25% of the population are salt sensitive with a higher percentage of those being salt sensitive found in african americans. For the remaining people, there really isn't a compelling reason to restrict salt intake. :idea:

[pennink]

I have heard that, in fact know the doctor who is debunking it, but they did find out he worked for the salt industry! That kind of scares me.

(I mean, I know him personally...)

[revcharlie]

For years, I insisted two things. 1. I really didn't eat all that much salt (just read the label on canned tomato products!) and 2. I was not salt sensitive. I'm not sure I was, but since a run in with heart failure I certainly am.

But, I and others around me have discovered the real taste of food. The first time my son in law tasted a salt free tortilla chip he remarked that you could actually taste the corn! I bought two cases of salt free canned tomatoes and ended up leaving a case with them when I moved and they don't even miss the salt!I agree, if you are not salt sensitive, you don't need to be overly cautious, but why destroy the taste of food with an excessive amount of salt. And salt only destroys your ability to actually enjoy the taste of food in its natural form.

Penn - when I was preparing the accomodations for a conference last year, a delegate from Jamaica told me that the reason African Americans are salt sensitive is theorized to have something to do with being forced to drink salt water on board the slave ships to the western world. Don't know if it is true or not, but interesting.

[pennink]

Very interesting. well, I'm British ethnicity and that wouldn't be me, but I had no idea how much salt was in everything.

I was hooked on canned soups, tinned veggies, smartfood popcorn... oh and all the fast food.

I think cutting out some of it, whether you think you're salt sensitive or not, would be a pretty good idea.

[EmmaB]

There is an interesting radio program transcipt here (http://www.abc.net.au/rn/ockhamsrazor/stories/2007/1838681.htm) about the possible connection between salt intake and high blood pressure and also Meniere's disease.

The researcher uses studies of those from 'salt free' societies to compare their health with that of people eating Western diets. Of course, many here will be wondering straight away if the lack of added salt is causal or not. But anyway, it's an interesting read ...

Also, I know there are other people on the board with Meniere's who might be particularly interested in this article. Personally, I wasn't totally convinced by it so haven't tried cutting out salt, but then my symptoms aren't so bad at the moment so there isn't a huge incentive to change.

Anyway, still an interesting read.

[tie_guy]

It would seem to me that salt sensitivity is genetic. So I don't think that one generation being forced to eat salt water over a relatively short period of time would affect all future generations. It might be that something in the mutation that causes salt sensitivity is beneficial to people living in Africa and that is why people of African descent are more likely to have that trait. Or maybe it is something random that wasn't a big deal until people started living in a society that puts salt on everything. After all it is only recently that salt became as cheap and plentiful as it is now. We get the word salary and the phrase "worth his salt" from when salt was so valuable that it was used as money. Before refrigeration salting was one of the few ways people had to preserve food and of course it can also be added to change the taste of food. Wars were fought over salt.

The people living in Africa have a larger genetic diversity than native people on every other continent. That is because humans first evolved on in Africa -- in a sense we are all African. But I understand that slaves were mostly taken from one region in Africa. So salt sensitivity may be more common among African Americans who have been here for many generations but I wonder if it is as common in other parts of Africa or with people who just recently emigrated here.

Well my dad and grandmother on my mom's side both had high blood pressure. And my family can trace our roots in this country back far enough that there is a possibility that I may be part African American (I like to think I am -- I read somewhere that for every number of generations your family has been in America then the probability that you are part African goes up by a certain amount.) But I am still not worrying about salt unless I get other symptoms. I guess I have enough in my life to worry about.

Too much salt can hide the taste of food but just a little can really enhance food. There is a lot of food that just wouldn't taste right without a little salt but if you took it out you wouldn't be able to tell what was wrong. But I am guessing that even people who are sensitive to salt can have a little bit of it -- just not drenched in salt like so much food these days are. And even among salt sensitive people I am wondering if carbs are still more dangerous than sodium.

Maybe if you are really sensitive to salt then you are also sensitive to the taste of salt. I am saying that because I personally think salt free tortilla chips are totally nasty. Don't even get me started on salt free pretzels. But to each his own I guess. Having these products salt free only makes me less tempted to eat them!

[mike_d]

I have cut back a lot on salty foods lately, they just taste too salty to me-- even pork rinds.... to the final point about salt and blood pressure: the only rationale offered for reducing salt to reduce blood pressure (in some people) is that it will lessen their risk of a heart attack or stroke. The news today is that not a single study has shown improved health outcomes for populations on reduced sodium diets. -- the Salt Institute

[PilotGal]

after cutting back salt in my lifestyle, i don't wake up with a puffy face any longer. :)

and yes..... food tastes soooooo much better without salt.
only backlash from this is....

it's difficult to go out to eat with friends because everything is salted..right down to the dry rubs they put on fish and steaks.

[Nancy LC]

I think when you cut out processed foods you cut out most of the salt in your diet. The salt you add to foods is registered to your taste buds much better than the salt added to foods when they were cooked, so you need much less.

[pennink]

I think when you cut out processed foods you cut out most of the salt in your diet. The salt you add to foods is registered to your taste buds much better than the salt added to foods when they were cooked, so you need much less.

Absolutely. This is why I love low carb dieting. Whole foods and I know how much salt I'm adding.

When I was on the DASH diet there was so little to eat! I HAD to cook for myself. I'd go to restaurants and see there was literally nothing to eat. I lost 25 pounds in 3 weeks. But I was miserable. This is so much easier.

[Dodger]

I think when you cut out processed foods you cut out most of the salt in your diet. The salt you add to foods is registered to your taste buds much better than the salt added to foods when they were cooked, so you need much less.I found that I had to start salting my food after I was on Atkins for a while. I was getting cramps and adding salt back was what eliminated them. Natural foods don't have all the salt that processed foods do. The only food that I eat that is high in salt is cheese.

[revcharlie]

Too much salt can hide the taste of food but just a little can really enhance food. There is a lot of food that just wouldn't taste right without a little salt but if you took it out you wouldn't be able to tell what was wrong. But I am guessing that even people who are sensitive to salt can have a little bit of it -- just not drenched in salt like so much food these days are. And even among salt sensitive people I am wondering if carbs are still more dangerous than sodium.

Maybe if you are really sensitive to salt then you are also sensitive to the taste of salt. I am saying that because I personally think salt free tortilla chips are totally nasty. Don't even get me started on salt free pretzels. But to each his own I guess. Having these products salt free only makes me less tempted to eat them!

Not wanting to start a war here, but the reason things just don't taste right without salt is because we don't know what food really tastes like without salt. We are accustomed to having salt in and on everything. I was never sensitive to the taste of salt, I have just learned that salt is not a flavour - food has its own flavour.

And yes, at least at one point, salt was more likely to kill me than carbs. In fact, it nearly did. I was very sick with the 'flu and my heart was failing. We didn't know my heart was failing and the doctor ordered lots of fluids including canned chicken soup. Nearly killed me!!!

[mike_d]

If I have any cheese to eat its often Swiss which is the lowest in sodium. I use some other cheeses like Parmesan in recipes or salads.

The processed foods tasting too salty is a recent development, I noticed it a week after starting intermittent fasting.

[jschwab]

For the salt sensitive, like me, it can be the end of your life. It nearly was for me.

Due to hypertension I have now got hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. There's no going back from this unless I get a new heart.
I was put on he DASH diet that drastically eliminates salt and watched my blood pressure plummet. Yes, if affects a lot of people. I'm a classic case.

This is interesting. I though hypertrophic cardiomyopthy was a congenital disorder and had nothing to do with lifestyle? We've been intersted in it because my husband's great grandfather dropped dead suddenly at 40 and he has all kinds of problems with palpitations and dizzyness.

I think that a lot of the problem with salt is more about what it comes with -- MSG, etc. Natural foods with shaker salt (preferably sea salt) are probably OK, but that is just a gut feeling. Correlating junk in foods with the sodium and making sodium the problem is what I think is happening here.

Janine

[pennink]

This is interesting. I though hypertrophic cardiomyopthy was a congenital disorder and had nothing to do with lifestyle? We've been intersted in it because my husband's great grandfather dropped dead suddenly at 40 and he has all kinds of problems with palpitations and dizzyness.

I think that a lot of the problem with salt is more about what it comes with -- MSG, etc. Natural foods with shaker salt (preferably sea salt) are probably OK, but that is just a gut feeling. Correlating junk in foods with the sodium and making sodium the problem is what I think is happening here.

Janine

Can be, in my case I did it to myself. High blood pressure makes the heart work harder. The heart's a muscle. It builds itself up, gets stiff, the chamber gets smaller... boom. Congestive heart failure.

No type of salt is fine for me. I track my sodium, just like I track calories and carbs. Oh, can I feel when I've done too much salt. Feet swell, back of my hands swell, and I get all bubbly in my lungs. Not pretty.

[MandalayVA]

I also agree that cutting out processed foods eliminates a LOT of salt, but you don't want to totally eliminate sodium because the body does need some. I eat quite a bit of salt but between intermittent fasting, adequate water intake (at least 3 liters/day) and eating whole foods I haven't had any problems. I do have high blood pressure but that's due to my weight and family history, and per my doctor I may be able to stop taking my pill before the end of the year.

[pennink]

ya, it's a fine balance!

I'm just glad my bp is finally normal and I've stopped damaging my heart. I know I would have very few years left if I hadn't done something.

[ChicknLady]

I'm sure my salt intake is higher than it should be, and yet my blood pressure had always been on the low side. Ever since I can remember I have always had dizziness and head-spins when I stand up, sometimes bad enough I have to sit down again. A friend of mine has similar symptoms, and her doctor actually told her to INCREASE her salt intake. Apparently it has raised her blood pressure enough to relieve the worst of the symptoms.

[pennink]

yep. too little sodium can do that too!

Trial and error!

[revcharlie]

If you are eating low carb, ie eating meat and eggs, you do get sodium so there is no totally eliminating sodium, only eliminating the salt shaker.

[bsenka]

Demonizing salt helps no one. If you get a lot of exercise (which anyone who is serious about their weight and health should), there is a much greater risk in getting too little salt than there is in getting too much.

[ojoj]

I just wonder why they make such a fuss about salt but very rarely mention sugar!

Jo

[pennink]

Demonizing salt helps no one. If you get a lot of exercise (which anyone who is serious about their weight and health should), there is a much greater risk in getting too little salt than there is in getting too much.

whoa... gotta say after being pretty much handed my obituary, this is far from the mark.

there is so much salt in everything, having too little would be rare unless you're trying to avoid it an drinking gallons of water.

[revcharlie]

Ditto, Pennink. And to repeat, if you are eating meat, eggs, celery and spinach, you can't get too little sodium unless you are drinking gallons of water. Which by the way aren't really necessary unless you are eating a ton of salt. And if you add cheese and salted butter and salted mayo to the above list, you approach the healthy guidlines of 2,400 mg.

Just reread the demonizing post. I walked five miles daily, minimum, while keeping my sodium below 1,000 mg.

I have no side effects (except health) from eliminating the added salt from my diet, but if I add it back, it could kill me!

[amergin]

I am trying to keep my sodium salt levels down also.
Some of the foods I now eat are unfortunately very high salt. Bratwurst from Aldi for example.
The label lists no nitrite or nitrate which is good news, and rare enough for processed meats.
But the sodium salt level is 2.55g per 100g, which is my entire sodium allowance in just one sausage.

I can't understand why the makers can not use a potassium/sodium salt mix, equiv to "Low-Salt". The cost would be a fraction of a cent per 100g.

What I often do now is cut a sausage in half length ways and leave it steeping overnight in the fridge in a bowl of water. The salt level is noticeably down when it's cooked and eaten next day.
A caution : This "treatment" may raise the risk of food poisoning, so do it at your own risk. Soaking is strictly short term and the food should be thoroughly cooked before consumption.

[ChicknLady]

OK, this is a question for you Paleo folks, and has probably been talked about numerous times on this forum, but I must have missed the point. I am assuming our paleo ancestors usually had little access to salt, other than the small amount found in their natural menu. However, I am also assuming that their physical exertions often far exceeded most of ours, again without access to lots of salt.

The Bear was an avid anti-salter, and mentioned he never got the "salt stains" on his clothes while balleting, but the others would have encrustations on theirs, and still be keeling over from electrolyte imbalances, while he kept dancing on.

Do we NEED salt for sweating, did paleo man have to cut his hunt short because he sweat so much that he ran out of electrolytes? I just find that very unlikely. What have we done to our bodies to make them seem almost dependent on excessive salt?

[jschwab]

OK, this is a question for you Paleo folks, and has probably been talked about numerous times on this forum, but I must have missed the point. I am assuming our paleo ancestors usually had little access to salt, other than the small amount found in their natural menu. However, I am also assuming that their physical exertions often far exceeded most of ours, again without access to lots of salt.

The Bear was an avid anti-salter, and mentioned he never got the "salt stains" on his clothes while balleting, but the others would have encrustations on theirs, and still be keeling over from electrolyte imbalances, while he kept dancing on.

Do we NEED salt for sweating, did paleo man have to cut his hunt short because he sweat so much that he ran out of electrolytes? I just find that very unlikely. What have we done to our bodies to make them seem almost dependent on excessive salt?

We have come to the conclusion that eating grains and tubers makes this necessary, but it is just an intuition. Think of what a potato tastes like without salt. Blecch!

Janine

[tom sawyer]

Bear was also in perfect health, except for that minor cancer thing. And he thought he looked twnety years younger than he was, but I didn't think so. While he had an interesting point of view, I wouldn't consider his testimony to be definitive. I do credit him for making me aware that man may well be primarily a carnivore.

I think primitive man sought out sources of salt, just as wild animals do. A great way to lure deer into an area is to start a salt lick.

I think LCers may need more sodium and potassium, because we hold onto less water in our systems and subsequently I think we may urinate more frequently. That and as pointed out wea re not getting the salt from unprocessed foods.

[CVH]

OK, this is a question for you Paleo folks, and has probably been talked about numerous times on this forum, but I must have missed the point. I am assuming our paleo ancestors usually had little access to salt, other than the small amount found in their natural menu. However, I am also assuming that their physical exertions often far exceeded most of ours, again without access to lots of salt.

The Bear was an avid anti-salter, and mentioned he never got the "salt stains" on his clothes while balleting, but the others would have encrustations on theirs, and still be keeling over from electrolyte imbalances, while he kept dancing on.

Do we NEED salt for sweating, did paleo man have to cut his hunt short because he sweat so much that he ran out of electrolytes? I just find that very unlikely. What have we done to our bodies to make them seem almost dependent on excessive salt?

I stopped using salt, almost 3 weeks now, I workout about 2-3 hours a day, I eat nothing but animal flesh, nothing proccessed, I have yet to drop dead from lack of sodium.

[ruthla]

About African Americans and salt sensitivity:

I read a theory that during slavery, the individuals who retained salt were able to survive hard labor in the hot sun with inadequate food and water intakes- and these individuals survived to reproduce. In today's processed food world, this same ability to retain salt leads to more problems with high blood pressure and heart disease in this population.

I don't think that EVERYBODY needs to avoid salt. Obviously there are people with specific medical issues who must avoid sodium in their diets, and others who are prone to these problems/have them in milder forms who would benefit from lower sodium intakes but don't HAVE TO avoid salt at all costs.

But there are also people who benefit from a higher salt diet, and people who do well either way. I'm also convinced there's a huge difference between consuming natural sea salt (with tons of trace minerals) and consuming processed salt- that contains chemical traces from the processing in addition to not having the trace minerals.

[ChicknLady]

This salt issue interested me, because I had an "episode" several years ago in which I suspect I had an imbalance. I was working long hours, in extreme heat, sweating like crazy, and consuming lots of water. I had read somewhere that if you don't pee once every few hours, you weren't drinking enough, and so I made sure I was drinking enough to meet that recommendation. But in the late afternoon I got very exhausted, and could only take a dozen steps or so before stopping. Needless to say I was frightened, as I was miles from anywhere. I got out, and later suspected that I had a case of hyponatremia. Water intoxication. This is from Wikipedia:
Endurance sports

Marathon runners are susceptible to water intoxication if they drink only water while running. Although sweat is relatively hypotonic compared with body fluids, marathon runners perspire heavily for long periods, potentially causing their sodium levels to drop when they consume large amounts of fluids to quench their thirst. The replacement fluids may not contain sufficient sodium to replace what has been lost, and this puts them at high risk for water intoxication. Medical personnel at marathon events are trained to immediately suspect water intoxication when runners collapse or show signs of confusion. Properly designed electrolyte-replacement drinks and some sports drinks include electrolytes that make them roughly isotonic with sweat, which helps to prevent water intoxication.

Note that overconsumption of sodium (in drinks or also in food), as well as inadequate intake of water, can cause hypernatremia, a disorder that is nearly the opposite of water intoxication and equally dangerous. Improper use of salt tablets can cause hypernatremia also.

[edit] Overexertion and heat stress

Any activity or situation that promotes heavy sweating can lead to water intoxication when water is consumed to replace lost fluids. Persons working in extreme heat and/or humidity for long periods must take care to drink and eat in ways that help to maintain electrolyte balance. Persons using drugs such as MDMA ("Ecstasy") may overexert themselves, perspire heavily, and then drink large amounts of water to rehydrate, leading to electrolyte imbalance and water intoxication (See the case of Leah Betts). Even people who are resting quietly in extreme heat or humidity may run the risk of water intoxication if they drink large amounts of water over short periods for rehydration.
I just wondered whether this is a modern-day problem caused by too much salt-dependency, kinda like our "metabolic syndrome". Still seems to me that paleo-man, and his avowed endurance, wouldn't have this problem like we do. Man evolved in extremely hot climates, after all.

Interesting about the "over consumption of sodium" paragraph.

[jschwab]

"I just wondered whether this is a modern-day problem caused by too much salt-dependency, kinda like our "metabolic syndrome". Still seems to me that paleo-man, and his avowed endurance, wouldn't have this problem like we do. Man evolved in extremely hot climates, after all."

Paleo man would not have had unlimited time and access to drink large amounts of water, and the water they were drinking likely contained many trace minerals and salts. Very different from purified Dasani.

Janine

[Mrs. Skip]

I thought most evidence of early man was centered around the coastal areas.

The seas and oceans are extremely salty. Everything you eat from the sea is salty. IMHO paleo man got plenty of salt simply because a large portion of his natural diet--fish, sea plants, clams, etc. have a lot of salt in them from the ocean.

According to Weston Price, when he made his observations in the early 1930's, he could find no culture anywhere that did not depend on products from the sea. He specifically was looking for that, but he could not find it. Even the cultures that were "landlocked" far from the sea, sent some of their members to make extensive journeys several times a year to obtain sea products and "stock up". They also traded with other cultures to get sea products.

And as I think someone else mentioned, the water we drink today is completely filtered. But real water, flowing down streams from mountaintops, or coming from underground springs, or wherever, have a wide variety of elements in it, such as salts, minerals, etc.

So my opinion is that as long as you try to use the best salt you can find (not supermarket-type salt) and try to eat the most natural food you can, that your own body will regulate your salt intake without you having to worry about it. At least that's my $.02 worth.

[glennette]

I've always wondered if it could be the iodine that's added to table salt and most prepacked food that affects the bp of some people since it affects the thyroid.

[tom sawyer]

If you don't get enough iodine, there will certainly be an effect. From what little I've read, iodine deficiency is more likely than excess iodine. They used to fortify other foods with iodine but have discontinued that practice. Iodized salt may be your sole source of iodine.

[glennette]

If you don't get enough iodine, there will certainly be an effect. From what little I've read, iodine deficiency is more likely than excess iodine. They used to fortify other foods with iodine but have discontinued that practice. Iodized salt may be your sole source of iodine.

The experts say that iodine is needed to protect against goiters, however my mother and many others that I've talked to have developed them even while using plenty of iodized salt and other high iodine foods. So I don't think that worked too well.

The reason I wonder, is that several people in my family are allergic to iodine and have gone into shock from the iodine used for contrast in medical tests. And I've gone into shock durring a surgery by just by having a iodine wash before hand. If it can affect some this way, I'm sure it could affect others in other ways. I've heard that the thyroid & high bp are linked, couldn't a sensitivity to iodine be the link?