Bloomberg
reports that a new study revealed that reducing salt in the diet failed to lower mortality rates. This is the latest in several studies that throw doubt on the idea that cutting salt can reduce deaths by heart attacks and strokes.
The researchers analyzed sever previous randomized clinical trials that studied the effect of lowered salt intake in 6,250 people. The groups included people with high blood pressure and with normal blood pressure.
The studies revealed that those with high blood pressure lowered their pressure by reducing salt, but here's the odd thing: they didn't live any longer. That is counter-intuitive, because high blood pressure is a risk factor for stroke and heart disease. The results seem to indicate that there is something else going on in the human body. The study was published today in the
American Journal of Hypertension.
Health experts would love to find a simple solution that will help cut death rates by heart attack and stroke -- such as cutting out salt -- but the science reveals that it's just not that simple. The report's authors concluded that there is no clear evidence that putting people on a no salt or low salt diet reduces heart attacks, strokes or mortality in general.
