I don't think anyone was assuming that one meal has any effect. By the way, exactly how much parsley does one have to eat to "balance out" 1000mg of sodium?

No offense to anyone posting here, but I really hope that anyone with serious questions/issues consults an actual doctor or dietitian.

No offence to any posters, but while anyone with serious health concerns should obviously consult a medical professional, I believe, particiarly when it comes to dietary matters, that people should be doing their own research as well. Doctors (even my son in medical school!) are not infallable and people need to particpate in their own health care. I find the discussion here to be very helpful, as one source among many, in forming my views.

Jonah

Jonah wrote:one source among many

That is how I hope people use this. It never hurts to get a professional opinion.

Darren72 wrote:But fresh baked bread and bagels that are not designed to be shelf-stable are considerably lower. This is an important distinction.

Not necessarily so. Some kosher bakeries, plain bagels can have twice as much sodium. I'm not sure why though.

Depending on how a person eats in a 24 hour period, eating products that don't have labeling means they probably stay away from it or only eat small portions of it, if they are choosing a sodium restricted diet.

One of the ways I pay close attention to my sodium levels day to day is by weighing myself everyday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/03/us-eating-less-salt-doesnt-cut-heart-ris-idUSTRE7427AG20110503

Anyone interested in the upshot/critique of that study and data in terms of the "big picture" in average joe-speak, based upon American POV?

Or just let it be?

kenji wrote:Anyone interested in the upshot/critique of that study and data in terms of the "big picture" in average joe-speak, based upon American POV?

Or just let it be?

My cursory review of it gave me the impression that their conclusions were focused on heart health and whether salt intake, in and of itself, was directly linked to causing the conditions that lead to health issues. I didn't read into it that individuals that already have high blood pressure or those that are genetically predisposed to HBP aren't still at risk to exacerbating that condition with a high salt diet.

It's important to make the distinction between lowering risks for a particular medical condition and lowering mortality. The Swiss and the Japanese have wildly different diets and levels of cholesterol and heart disease but have nearly identical life expectancies.
My doctor told me to lower my salt intake, and to not add salt to anything. I told her that if she thought I was going to eat an egg without salt she was crazy. She laughed and said, ok, put salt on your eggs. My theory is moderation in all things and not to worry. Americans seem to have a paranoid obsession with perceived harm that different foods can cause.

gooseberry wrote:Pepsi Develops "Designer Salt" to Chip Away at Sodium Intake
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 91566.html

In the latest issue of the New Yorker, there's an article on Pepsi and the "healthier" foods their developing, including products with the designer salt. I have a PDF of the article, if anyone wants it.

I read that article. Drinkifying snacks and snackifying drinks. Sounds somewhat Orwellian to me.

Two new studies on salt and health

"Americans who eat a diet high in sodium and low in potassium have a 50 percent increased risk of death from any cause, and about twice the risk of death from heart attacks, according to a study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study was conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University and Harvard University."

http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/ ... mdiet.html

"A Classic Instinct -- Salt Appetite -- Is Linked to Drug Addiction

A team of Duke University Medical Center and Australian scientists has found that addictive drugs may have hijacked the same nerve cells and connections in the brain that serve a powerful, ancient instinct: the appetite for salt."

http://www.dukehealth.org/health_librar ... -addiction

leek wrote:Two new studies on salt and health

"Americans who eat a diet high in sodium and low in potassium have a 50 percent increased risk of death from any cause, and about twice the risk of death from heart attacks, according to a study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study was conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University and Harvard University."

http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/ ... mdiet.html

Actually, this is a very strange study. They actually no correlation between sodium intake and death from heart disease. They find that low potassium is correlated with increased deaths from heart disease and then also show that the ratio of sodium to potassium is correlated with death from heart disease.

They also find a correlation between sodium and death from other factors besides heart disease, which they do not attempt to explain.

So the advise to lower your sodium may be very good, but it shouldn't follow from this study.

A review of the literature on Salt and Health

Effects of Low-Sodium Diet vs. High-Sodium Diet on Blood Pressure, Renin, Aldosterone, Catecholamines, Cholesterol, and Triglyceride (Cochrane Review) - basically conclusion is that Salt-cutting advice may not be advised: while it lowers BP, it raises cholesterol, triglycerides: American Journal of Hypertension


(edited to change "a new study" to "a review of the literature")

leek wrote:Yet another new study on Salt and Health

Effects of Low-Sodium Diet vs. High-Sodium Diet on Blood Pressure, Renin, Aldosterone, Catecholamines, Cholesterol, and Triglyceride (Cochrane Review) - basically conclusion is that Salt-cutting advice may not be advised: while it lowers BP, it raises cholesterol, triglycerides: American Journal of Hypertension

And, interestingly, when it lowers BP it lowers it only a few points -- it's not like it's some night and day, life altering difference. And it only lowers it if you're sensitive to salt. For most folks, you don't help your BP, but you still get all those negative increases.

Besides, adding salt is biblical: "Is tasteless food eaten without salt? I refuse to touch it; such food makes me ill. " Job 6:6&7

You've both misinterpreted this paper. First, it is not a new study. It is a review of the existing evidence. Second, there is nothing in the paper about "sensitivity" to salt. They key distinction is between people who are already hypertensive and those who have normal blood pressure.

The (non-political) conclusion is that cutting salt intake may be part of an overall strategy for people who are already hypertensive.

A second conclusion made by the authors is that these results (particularly for whites) are no different than what had been concluded by literature reviews done thirty years ago.

Darren72 wrote:You've both misinterpreted this paper. First, it is not a new study. It is a review of the existing evidence. Second, there is nothing in the paper about "sensitivity" to salt. They key distinction is between people who are already hypertensive and those who have normal blood pressure.

The (non-political) conclusion is that cutting salt intake may be part of an overall strategy for people who are already hypertensive.

A second conclusion made by the authors is that these results (particularly for whites) are no different than what had been concluded by literature reviews done thirty years ago.

Actually, I didn't misinterpret the paper -- I was just reacting to Leek's summary of the contents. I've read so much about this debate I didn't get any farther than that -- and my comments about sensitivity were based on completely different studies (there have been a lot of them). A couple of studies actually showed that heart disease is much higher among folks with a really low salt intake.

This has been a subject of great interest and considerable study for me for many years, as my mom has high blood pressure. Even her doctor has now told her to simply use salt reasonably, because eliminating it offers no benefits and has some dangers.

The NIH press release from 2001 on Salt Sensitivity:

Study Shows New Link Between Salt Sensitivity and Risk of Death


http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/new/press/01-02-15.htm

Some new findings about salt and health.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/27/healt ... -risk.html

"Sodium-Saturated Diet Is a Threat for All
By JANE E. BRODY
Published: December 26, 2011
While a diet high in sodium — salt is the main source — increases heart disease risk, even more important is the ratio of sodium (harmful) to potassium (protective)."

kinda funny that http://salthealth.org has this at the bottom of it's home page:

Salt and Health is a project of the Salt Institute

Then go to:

http://www.saltinstitute.org/

Panel Finds No Benefit in Sharply Restricting Sodium

In a report that undercuts years of public health warnings, a prestigious group convened by the government says there is no good reason based on health outcomes for many Americans to drive their sodium consumption down to the very low levels recommended in national dietary guidelines.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/health/panel-finds-no-benefit-in-sharply-restricting-sodium.html

Yet more on salt and health - could the current recommended salt intake be too low?

http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/l ... mful/salt/

http://online.wsj.com/articles/recommen ... itorsPicks