Salt intake and cardiovascular disease: why are the data inconsistent?

Reducing salt intake to prevent hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

There is compelling evidence that dietary salt intake is the major cause of raised blood pressure (BP) and that a reduction in salt intake from the current level of ≈ 9 - 12 g/day in most countries to the recommended level of < 5 g/day lowers BP. A further reduction to 3 - 4 g/day has a greater effect and there needs to be ongoing consideration of lower targets for population salt intake. Cohor...

Dietary salt intake, salt sensitivity, and cardiovascular health.

The controversial issue of the relationship between dietary NaCl (referred to as “salt” in this article) intake and health was framed nicely in the superb review by Prof Eberhard Ritz.1 When salt was not readily available, it was a relatively essential commodity, but in the modern world salt has become plentiful, and it is actually difficult to achieve a low salt intake without exerting a signi...

Does reducing salt intake increase cardiovascular mortality?

Overwhelming evidence shows that reducing salt intake from 9-12 to 5-6  g/d lowers blood pressure, thereby preventing cardiovascular disease. A recent paper claims that lower salt intake is associated with higher cardiovascular mortality despite lower blood pressure. The study is flawed and cannot refute the evidence for the benefits of salt reduction. The WHO recommends salt reduction as cruci...

Cappuccio Salt and cardiovascular disease

The Association Between Salt and Potassium Intake With Multiple Sclerosis

Background: The number of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is increasing in Iran. Studies have shown that high sodium chloride (salt) and low potassium intake are associated with the development of MS. High physiological salt concentrations can lead to the induction of Interleukin-17 (IL-17) accompanied by the excessive generation of helper T-17 cells (Th-17). This cytokine plays a critica...