To Salt or Not to Salt?
Sodium is an important mineral that is essential to the body’s proper function – however, adding salt (sodium chloride) to food provides us with dangerously high amounts of sodium. The human body was designed to obtain the sodium it needs from natural foods. All salt originates from the ocean – expensive and exotic sea salts are still salt – they contain over 98% sodium chloride. They add sodium to the body, and so they have the same risks as regular table salt. Sea salts may contain small amounts of trace minerals, but the excess sodium is not any less harmful. Also, the amounts of trace minerals in sea salts are insignificant compared to the amounts that can be obtained from natural plant foods. There are no nutritional benefits to consuming any particular type of salt.
Elevated blood pressure.
The human diet, for millions of years, did not contain any added salt, and provided less than 1000 mg of sodium per day. Populations in pockets of the world that do not salt their food do not have elderly citizens with high blood pressure.1 Today, according to the CDC, Americans typically consume 3500 mg of sodium per day. Americans also have a 90% lifetime probability of developing high blood pressure, which is an important risk factor for future cardiovascular events – hypertension is responsible for two-thirds of all strokes.2
There are medications designed to improve hypertension, but these offer only marginal protection against cardiovascular disease. Only about one-third of people taking drugs for hypertension have favorable levels of blood pressure.2 When on these medications, people often think that they are protected and that they can continue their disease-causing lifestyles, which inevitably result in medical tragedies. Plus, blood pressure medications have significant side effects including the risk of developing a heart arrthymia such as atrial fibrillation. In contrast, exercise, and adopting a disease-protective diet, rich in micronutrients and free of added salt provides a high level of protection against these conditions that most Americans suffer from as they age - as the harmful effects of their poor lifestyle choices accumulate.
Other harmful effects.
Elevated blood pressure is not the only harmful consequence of high sodium intake – sodium has additional detrimental effects even in the absence of hypertension that contribute to coronary heart disease3, asthma4, stomach ulcers, and stomach cancer5. Excess sodium intake also increases the amount of calcium and other minerals excreted by the body, which could lead to bone loss and osteoporosis.6 Alarmingly, high sodium intake also correlates with death from all causes.7
How to consume less sodium.
Since most salt comes from processed foods, avoiding added sodium isn’t difficult. If you don’t use salt, your taste buds adjust with time and your sensitivity to taste salt improves. By avoiding processed and salted foods, you regain your ability to detect and enjoy the subtle flavors in natural foods and actually experience heightened pleasure from foods that are not heavily seasoned. Resist adding salt to foods and purchase salt-free canned goods and soups. If you must salt your food, do so only after it is on the table and you are ready to eat it - it will taste saltier if the salt is right on the surface. Condiments such as ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and relish are all high in sodium. Use garlic, onion, fresh or dried herbs, spices, lemon or lime juice, or vinegar to flavor food. Experiment to find salt-free seasonings that you enjoy.
Read labels.
Ideally we should consume less than 1000 mg of sodium a day. Natural foods contain less than 50 mg of sodium per 100 calories. If eating whole grain bread, tomato sauce or any other prepared food, read the label. Aim for no more than 300 mg of added sodium per day. Preferably, choose foods that have less sodium (in mg) than the number of calories per serving to protect your future health. Consuming less sodium is one of the most important things you can do to prevent heart disease and strokes.8
References:
1. Murphy, H.B., Blood pressure and culture. The contribution of cross-cultural comparisons to psychosomatics. Psychother Psychosom, 1982. 38(1): p. 244-55.
Cooper, R., et al., The prevalence of hypertension in seven populations of west African origin. Am J Public Health, 1997. 87(2): p. 160-8.
He, J., et al., Body mass and blood pressure in a lean population in southwestern China. Am J Epidemiol, 1994. 139(4): p. 380-9.
2. Luke RG. Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Assocation, Vol. 118, 2007. President’s Address: Salt – too much of a good thing?
3. Tuomilehto J et al. Urinary sodium excretion and cardiovascular mortality in Finland: a prospective study. Lancet 2001;357:848-851
4. Burney P. A diet rich in sodium may potentiate asthma. Epidemiologic evidence for a new hypothesis. Chest 1987;91 (2 Suppl):143s-148s
5. Tsugane S, Sasazuki S. Diet and the risk of gastric cancer. Gastric Cancer 2007;10(2):75-83
6. H, R., and Y. Suyama. 1996. Sodium excretion in relation to calcium and hydroxyproline excretion in a healthy Japanese population. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 63 (5): 735-40.
7. Ito Tuomilehto, J., P. Jousilahti, D. Rastenyte, et. al. 2001. Urinary sodium excretion and cardiovascular mortality in Finland: a prospective study. Lancet 357 (9259): 848-51.
8. National High Blood Pressure Education Program, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. National Institutes of Health. “National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group report on primary prevention of hypertension.” Arch Intern Med 1993;153:186-208
