Reducing salt intake may not have a positive effect on general health, according to a study by a Danish team led by Dr. Nils Graudal from the University Hospital in Copenhagen.
This conclusion is based on the analysis of more than 160 scientific studies from which it follows that reducing salt intake can indeed lower blood pressure in people whose blood pressure is normally normal or elevated, but it also leads to increased secretion of certain hormones and increases the content of fats from the lipid group, which in the long run, it can have an adverse effect on heart health, the Reuters news agency reported.
Dr. Graudal points out that it is not even completely certain that lowered blood pressure has a beneficial effect on the heart health of the general population. A British study from July this year found no evidence that reduced salt intake reduces the risk of heart disease or premature death. Another study, published in Belgium in May of this year, found that people who consume a lot of salt are not at a higher risk of hypertension than those who do not.
What's more, it turned out that people who eat salt are at a lower risk of dying from a heart disease than those who limit their intake. The World Health Organization (WHO), however, currently lists reducing salt intake as one of the top 10 tips to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases. Health guidelines in many countries recommend a reduction in salt intake for the general population with a tendency to increasingly tighten this requirement.
In Great Britain, for example, it is recommended that adults reduce their daily salt intake to six grams by 2015, and to three grams by 2025. The US Food and Drug Administration recommends a daily salt intake of 2,3 grams, with Americans at higher risk of hypertension and heart disease reducing it to just 1,5 grams.
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