Recently published results of a large, international study conducted by University of McMaster researchers show that most people do not consume enough salt to put their health at risk. The study published in The Lancet last week showed that most of the populations studied did not consume more than an average of five grams of sodium a day – the limit over which health risks from salt consumption are considered to increase.

Researchers from McMaster’s Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) in Canada and others from 21 more countries studied 94,000 individuals aged 35 to 70. The participants in the study came from 18 countries and were followed for an average of eight years. The results of the study showed that in most of the communities the participants came from, average sodium consumption ranged between 3.5 and five grams of sodium a day, the equivalent of around 1.5 to two teaspoons of salt.

The consumption of this amount of salt was not associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and was in fact found to be negatively correlated with the risk of heart attacks according to PHRI’s Andrew Mente, the first author of the study. Mente also added that the risk of strokes and death were not increased by this level of salt intake either.

It was only in China, where 80 percent of the population consumed over 5 grams of sodium a day, where salt consumption was associated with increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

But there’s a twist; even in communities where sodium intake exceeded the five-gram limit, the risks from the increased intake seemed to disappear when individuals included potassium-rich foods in their diets such as fruits, vegetables and dairy products.

salt

Source: Medical Xpress

What does this mean for current guidelines?

The World Health Organization currently recommends that individuals limit their sodium intake to under two grams a day (the equivalent of one teaspoon) to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

But Mente says that there is little evidence of better health outcomes from limiting sodium intake to such a low level.

Martin O’Donnell, co-author of the study and also a PHRI researcher concurs. He says that strategies to reduce sodium intake should be specifically targeted at communities with excessive sodium consumption and that the focus should be on improving the overall diet. Don’t be afraid to grab that salt-shaker. It’s okay, and we know you want to.