The government medical
establishment has been proclaiming for decades that Americans consume
too much salt, saying it raises the risk of high blood pressure,
cardiovascular disease and stroke. The USDA, the Food and Drug
Administration, the World Health Organization, the American Heart
Association and others have long set daily sodium targets of 1,500 to
2,300 milligrams or lower, compared to the U. S. average of 3,400
milligrams. The WSJ notes “The FDA is pressuring food
manufacturers and restaurants to remove salt from their recipes and
menus, while the public health lobby is still urging the agency to go
further and regulate sodium chloride [salt] as if it were poison.”
Do we really need government
to protect us from this “danger”? There is a growing body of
evidence that government policies on salt are more dangerous than the
salt Americans devour. A report last year from the Institute of
Medicine found cutting sodium intake as recommended did not reduce
the risk of cardiovascular disease. Two studies in the New
England Journal of Medicine in August 2014 found it actually
poses a health hazard.
One study tracked 100,000
people in 17 countries for nearly four years. It covered the general
population, not just people at high risk from heart disease. It
found that people consuming 3,000 to 6,000 milligrams of sodium a day
had the lowest risk of heart problems, stroke or death. Higher or
lower levels of sodium increased the risk. Note that Americans'
average consumption, 3,400 milligrams, is right in the healthiest
range. The study's leader, Dr. Salim Yusuf of McMaster University in
Ontario, said, “Most people should stay right where they are.”
The study found those who consumed fewer than 3,000 milligrams of
sodium daily had a 27% higher risk of death or serious event such as
a heart attack or stroke than those whose intake was 3,000 to 6,000
milligrams.
Risks increased with intake
above 6,000 milligrams, but not as much as you might expect. Those
in the healthiest category, 3,000 to 6,000 milligrams, experienced a
3.1% rate of heart attack, heart failure or stroke. The rate rose to
3.2% above 6,000 milligrams and 3.3% above 7,000 milligrams.
The second study concluded
there were 1.65 million deaths worldwide from consumption over 2,000
milligrams of sodium, compared to 0.5 million deaths from consumption
over 4,000 milligrams. The study was led by Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian
of Tufts University and the Harvard School of Public Health. It
examined dozens of studies of sodium intake, calculated the
relationship to high blood pressure, and then the links of high blood
pressure to cardiovascular deaths.
“There is not a single
study, not one, showing benefit for having sodium intake of less than
2,300 milligrams,” said Brian Strom, chancellor of Rutgers
Biomedical and Health Services. He wasn't involved in the latest
studies but chaired the Institute of Medicine panel that reported on
sodium last year.
Sodium is a nutrient that is
a key to many cellular functions, many of which would likely
“function on a lower level” with low sodium levels, says Niels
Graudel, an internal medicine specialist at Copenhagen University
Hospital who wasn't involved in the study. “Too little sodium
could trigger a hormonal response from the renin-angiotensin system
that regulates blood pressure,” said the researchers. Also, Dr.
Graudel said very low sodium is associated with higher blood fats
called lipids.
Short-term studies have
found that low-salt diets have helped people already diagnosed with
hypertension or borderline high blood pressure to lower it. “But
studies that show the resulting blood-pressure reduction in such
patients reduces risk of death or serious cardiovascular problems are
lacking.”
This is the third and last
of a series of three postings on how government food regulations
intended to improve the diet of Americans have been consistent
long-term failures. They have been not only futile but detrimental
to the health of millions of people.
In the first of the series
we explained how the government for over a half century perpetuated
the fraudulent ideas about saturated fat in foods raising cholesterol
and, consequently, heart attacks. Government promoted eating more
pasta, grains, fruit and starchy vegetables to replace meat, eggs and
cheese. “The
problem is that carbohydrates break down into glucose, which causes
the body to release insulin—a hormone that is fantastically
efficient at storing fat....Excessive carbohydrates lead not only to
obesity but also, over time, to Type 2 diabetes and, very likely,
heart disease.”
In the second of the series
we explained how the federal school lunch program has made nutrition
worse for children, leaving more of them unsatisfied and hungry. The
program has resulted in fewer children drinking milk, many going
without meals, and schools—even whole districts—dropping out of
the program Enormous amounts of money are spent, and vast
quantities of food are wasted while children go hungry and are buying
more “junk” food to satisfy their hunger.
