Salt – The Silent Killer
According to the New England Journal of Medicine in a study published on January 20, 2010, if we all consumed half a teaspoon of salt less daily – the equivalent of 1200 milligrams of sodium it could prevent up to 120, 000 new cases of coronary heart disease, 66,000 strokes and 99,000 heart attacks.
Every day the average person eats between 3100 mg and 3400 mg. This is much too much
The numbers are huge and it is worth taking care not to be one of the statistics. The recommended intake for adults up to age 50 is 1,500 mg with an uppper limit of 2,300 mg. (don’t go there) From 50-70 years the recommended level is 1,300 mg and over 70 years 1,200 mg. As we age our bodies hold less water.
Salt is necessary for life, it maintans the water balance in tissues, assists in the transmission of nerve impulses and is an important fact in helping the body to absorb and or transport nutrients. However, too much salt can lead to hypertension, widely estimated to be a leading risk factor for death. This is especially true for those more inclined to have high blood pressure. This group includes:
People over 45
People with diabetes
People with kidney disease
People of African descent.
Although genetic and environmental factors do play a role in the development of hypertension, you are largely in control of whether your risk is high or low.
Studies in Canada have shown that reducing the amount of salt in your diet has been shown to decrease the not only the number of hypertension cases in people with normal blood pressure, but have provided evidence that reducing the salt intake by 1840 mg/day (normal intake for Canadians is 3680 mg/day) will lower diastolic BP by 1 ~mmHG and systolic BP by 3 to 5 mmHg.
The importance of this figure is that this reduction in salt intake could potentially prevent 1 in 7 stroke deaths and 1 in 11 coronary deaths. The further advantage of this reduction in salt intake is that people who have hypertension has a good probability of revertting back to normal blood pressure.
Aside from hypertension, people who consume high amounts of sodium are at risk for other health conditions such as severity and frequency of asthma, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, kidney stones, worsening of symptoms and signs of congestive heart failure.
The evidence is in – too much salt is bad for you!
