Pass the salt: Study finds average consumption safe for heart health
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New research shows that for the vast majority of individuals, sodium consumption does not increase health risks except for those who eat more than five grams a day, the equivalent of 2.5 teaspoons of salt.
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Fewer than five per cent of individuals in developed countries exceed that level.
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The large, international study also shows that even for those individuals there is good news - any health risk of sodium intake is virtually eliminated if people improve their diet quality by adding fruits, vegetables, dairy foods, potatoes, and other potassium rich foods.
Andrew Mente, Martin O’Donnell, Sumathy Rangarajan, Matthew McQueen, Gilles Dagenais, Andreas Wielgosz, Scott Lear, Shelly Tse Lap Ah, Li Wei, Rafael Diaz, Alvaro Avezum, Patricio Lopez-Jaramillo, Fernando Lanas, Prem Mony, Andrzej Szuba, Romaina Iqbal, Rita Yusuf, Noushin Mohammadifard, Rasha Khatib, Khalid Yusoff, Noorhassim Ismail, Sadi Gulec, Annika Rosengren, Afzalhussein Yusufali, Lanthe Kruger, Lungiswa Primrose Tsolekile, Jephat Chifamba, Antonio Dans, Khalid F Alhabib, Karen Yeates, Koon Teo, Salim Yusuf. Urinary sodium excretion, blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and mortality: a community-level prospective epidemiological cohort study. The Lancet, 2018; 392 (10146): 496 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31376-X
