1 in 10 U.S. Deaths Blamed on Salt

[mikeymikec]

I totally avoid salt in everything. Not because of diet but just because I don't like it much.

My mum is/was like that, then her doctor told her that she doesn't have enough salt in her diet.

 

[BUTCH1]

Just think if they could invent a cost effective way to remove salt from sea water. There would be enough salt for everyone.

Well uh they have, that's all I buy is iodized sea salt now..

 

[Gibsons]

I'll just drop this here for now

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11984.html

We show here that a modest increase in salt concentration induces SGK1 expression, promotes IL-23R expression and enhances TH17 cell differentiation in vitro and in vivo, accelerating the development of autoimmunity.

 

[pmv]

I totally avoid salt in everything. Not because of diet but just because I don't like it much.

Is it not quite difficult to totally avoid it? Most bread, for example, has very large amounts of salt in it. (Possibly you don't eat bread, of course.)

Whether salt is bad for you I have no idea. Every other popular press report on the topic contradicts the previous one.

 

[nehalem256]

My grandma puts salt on her pizza, but for some reason she isn't dead.

 

[Ichinisan]

I couldn't read the article with a straight face, OP.

- Salt increases blood pressure by increasing water retention in the body

- Cholesterol increases blood pressure by leaving plaque that narrows and blocks arteries

- Plaque from cholesterol causes heart attacks
- Salt cannot cause heart attacks

WHEN WILL PEOPLE GET THIS STRAIGHT?!

Well, OP, the article has this quote from the Salt Institute:

The Salt Institute took issue with the unrealistic threshold.
“This misleading study did not measure any actual cardiovascular deaths related to salt intake, since, by the authors’ own admission, no country anywhere in the world consumes the low levels of salt they recommend,” Morton Satin, vice president of science and research for the Virginia-based institute said in a statement.
Satin also stressed that Mozaffarian’s research is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, and said it “reveals an agenda far more rooted in sensationalist politics than in science.”
“The Salt Institute does not consider this misleading modeling exercise helpful in furthering our knowledge of the role of salt on our health,” Satin said. “On the contrary, it is disingenuous and disrespectful of consumers.”

They're right. The "study" was done by unscrupulous assholes trying to get "OHMIGOSH!" reposts and recognition from other sensationalist tools.

"1 IN 10 DEATHS CAUSED BY SALT!"

What a great headline!

 

[PricklyPete]

Just stop eating processed foods...problem solved.

 

[_Rick_]

Can't have food without my bath salts.

 

[RearAdmiral]

http://www.saltinstitute.org/

The salt institute disagrees with this.

Personally I think this is part of the liberal conspiracy to ban anything that tastes good: sugar, meat, salt, etc.

They are probably making way for their "green" utopia where we are only allowed to eat equality-mush.

Lol wow that actually made me laugh!

 

[Fritzo]

 

[WelshBloke]

My grandma puts salt on her pizza, but for some reason she isn't dead.

My Gran lived to 90 smoking 40 to 60 cigarettes a day, but that doesn't mean 40 to 60 cigs a day isn't bad for you.

 

[PowerYoga]

I knew MD5 was a security risk, but now it's a health risk too?

I mean, if you are the only one that has the key and the mob is after you...

 

[SlitheryDee]

All cancer is caused by cigarettes. All heart attacks are caused by salt. All obesity is caused by McDonalds. All violent deaths are caused by guns. All misery is caused by The Man.

Right.

Did I miss anything?

 

[silverpig]

Ugh. THIS again. "Linked to salt." Yup. Very carefully worded to continue the salt = bad myth.

Correct me if I am wrong, but high blood pressure doesn't cause heart attacks. Arterial plaques cause heart attacks. Arterial plaques constrain the blood vessels and, therefore, increase blood pressure, which is the only reason why the risk correlates with high blood pressure. Salt also increases blood pressure, but only coincidentally correlates because high-cholesterol lifestyles correlate with high sodium lifestyle (processed/junk foods with various sodium-based preservatives).

Salt isn't really that bad. It's the bad cholesterol that gets you. Wording it that way is disingenuous. It's like the people telling you that diet cola is causes heart attacks purely because those who drink it as a substitution in a poor diet are every bit as much at risk (of course: high sugar diets only correlate and do not cause heart attacks). I watched as the reports changed from "no effect on heart attacks" to "why would I switch my kid if there is no benefit?" (stated by an idiot newsperson ignoring the main reasons for replacing sugar: obesity and diabetes) to "Diet Coke causes heart attacks the same as regular soda!" to "See! I Keep telling you that diet is worse for you! Diet Coke causes heart attacks!"

It's probably because 10% of the population dies near a beach.

 

[JamesV]

For my great aunt, less salt seems to be key.

She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure (94 years old), and over the past few months has been in and out of the hospital. Retaining water has been the major issue, with her legs bloating and internally having issues with greater amounts of water pushing on organs.

We are on a 'as close to zero salt' diet now, and she is on multiple water pills. In less than 2 weeks, she is almost back to her old self (pre-October last year). The change is amazing. She can walk around the house, and is even starting to make her own food again.

For a regular healthy person, moderate salt intake is probably no big deal, but for the elderly, it seems to be a major factor in their health if they are liberal with salt. My aunt's best friend can barely walk due to the bloating in her legs for example, which is at least partially because of her salt intake.

 

[Pantlegz]

Salt really isn't all that bad for you. It's even better if you have healthy potassium intake, which most people don't.

 

[Ichinisan]

For my great aunt, less salt seems to be key.

She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure (94 years old), and over the past few months has been in and out of the hospital. Retaining water has been the major issue, with her legs bloating and internally having issues with greater amounts of water pushing on organs.

We are on a 'as close to zero salt' diet now, and she is on multiple water pills. In less than 2 weeks, she is almost back to her old self (pre-October last year). The change is amazing. She can walk around the house, and is even starting to make her own food again.

For a regular healthy person, moderate salt intake is probably no big deal, but for the elderly, it seems to be a major factor in their health if they are liberal with salt. My aunt's best friend can barely walk due to the bloating in her legs for example, which is at least partially because of her salt intake.

Salt causes water retention, which increases blood pressure. It doesn't cause heart failure as far as I know.

 

[WelshBloke]

Salt causes water retention, which increases blood pressure. It doesn't cause heart failure as far as I know.

Congestive heart failure is when the heart isnt pumping as powerfully as possible. This leads to diminished kidney function with fluid being retained in the body tissues.

Lowering salt intake helps to lower the retained fluids.

 

[Jaskalas]

If we ban salt... people will live longer. Health care will be more expensive... people may very well die from lack of care. So I say to you - use salt, die earlier, save the country. Salt is patriotic. :awe:

 

[GasX]

Correct me if I am wrong, but high blood pressure doesn't cause heart attacks.

You are wrong.

 

[Kadarin]

Assault salt or regular salt?

Feinstein needs to get on an assault salt ban asap.

 

[JTsyo]

Salt really isn't all that bad for you. It's even better if you have healthy potassium intake, which most people don't.

how many bananas per day is needed?

 

[OutHouse]

No, drinking all that water just gets retained because of the sodium, takes awhile to flush out.

Really there are 2 problems with modern salt intake. First, table salt is iodized, and although doing a great job of preventing iodine deficiencies and associated diseases, a lot of people now get too much iodine with affects how the thyroid and immune system react. Second, sodium chloride is not balanced - we also need other salts, including potassium. So then our sodium/potassium ratios are off, affecting our nervous system.

OP, switch to a combo of sea salt and "lite salt" which has a balanced mix of iodized sodium and potassium salts. Then you're all set.

i only use kosher salt. i use my coffee grinder to make it into table salt.

 

[CZroe]

You are wrong.

That's just it. People always say that and not one person has shown me how it "causes" it. Get it? HBP is caused by the cause of heart attacks (arterial plaques from bad cholesterol) and also caused by salt, but that doesn't mean HBP causes heart attacks independent of arterial plaques. I asked you to show me more than speculation based on the obvious correlation. Once again, I didn't get that.

 

[zinfamous]

Is it not quite difficult to totally avoid it? Most bread, for example, has very large amounts of salt in it. (Possibly you don't eat bread, of course.)

Whether salt is bad for you I have no idea. Every other popular press report on the topic contradicts the previous one.

You pretty much have to avoid any type of premade foods or mixes from the supermarket, and never ever ever eat out if you actually want to avoid salt.

But that's just crazy, anyway. Salt is fine.