SALT AND HEALTH
Report #6683 1/7/96
The most recent research shows that salt doesn't have as much to do with high blood pressure as we used to think, but in susceptible people, large amounts of salt can cause stomach cancer, osteoporosis and asthma. (1)
In 1996, doctors prescribe low-fat diets, rather than low- salt diets, to treat high blood pressure. The vast majority of Americans will not have their blood pressure rise after taking extra salt (2) nor will they have their high blood pressure reduced significantly by restricting salt. (3,4,5) On the other hand, low-fat diets and weight reduction lower high blood pressure to normal in most patients. (6)
It still is not healthful to eat large amounts of salt. Excess salt intake can raise blood pressure slightly and damage the kidneys of people (7) who already have high blood pressure and it can also cause osteoporosis (8), increase stomach acidity (8), and asthma (1). Increasing salt intake increases calcium loss in the urine to cause osteoporosis, and increase stomach acidity and your chances for getting stomach cancer. It can also increase mucous production in your lungs and make some people wheeze.
Most doctors feel that it is perfectly healthful to avoid adding extra salt by not adding salt to food, not cooking with salt and avoiding salty tasting foods, but it is not reasonable for the vast majority to severely restrict salt by avoiding all foods that contain significant amounts of salt or taking diuretics at the same time that they are on a low-salt diet.
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News
1) M Narhinen, L Cernerud. Salt and public health - Policies for dietary salt in the
Nordic countries. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care 13: 4(DEC 1995):300-306.
2) Science 1982(April);216(2):38-40.
3) Silman AJ, Locke C, Mitchel P. Humpherson P. Evaluation of the effectiveness of a
low- sodium diet in the treatment of mild to moderate hypertension. Lancet 1983(May
28):1179.
4) BR Davis, A Oberman, MD Blaufox, S Wassertheilsmoller, N Zimbaldi, K Kirchner, J
Wylierosett, HG Langford. Lack of effectiveness of a low-sodium high-potassium diet in
reducing antihypertensive medication requirements in overweight persons with mild
hypertension. American Journal of Hypertension 1994(Oct);7(10 Part 1):926-932. This study
provides no support for the sole use of a low-sodium/ high-potassium diet as a practical
therapeutic strategy in maintaining blood pressure control in the moderately obese.
5) JD Swales. Salt and blood pressure revisited. Journal of Human Hypertension 9: 6 (JUN
1995):517-5214.
6) Wt and dietary fat more important. Hypertension 1991;18(suppl 1):115-120.
7) MR Weir, DR Dengel, MT Behrens, AP Goldberg. Salt-induced increases in systolic blood
pressure affect renal hemodynamics and proteinuria. Hypertension 25: 6 (JUN
1995):1339-1344.
8) TFT Antonios, GA Macgregor. Salt intake: Potential deleterious effects excluding blood pressure. Journal of Human Hypertension 9: 6 (JUN 1995): 511-515.