To Salt or Not to Salt? Study Questions the Benefits of Reducing Dietary Sodium
For decades, experts have been recommending that Americans cut down on their salt consumption to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke. According to a new study, however, while reducing dietary salt does lower blood pressure, it may also lead to a slight boost in cholesterol, a separate risk factor for heart disease.
Danish researchers report in the American Journal of Hypertension that reducing sodium consumption led to a 1% drop in blood pressure in people who had normal pressure readings, and a 3.5% drop in those with hypertension. But other changes may offset those benefits: people who cut dietary salt also saw a 2.5% increase in cholesterol levels and a 7% boost in triglycerides. Like high blood pressure, elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides are risk factors for heart disease. Excessive triglycerides can also contribute to diabetes.
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/09/to-salt-or-not-to-salt-study-questions-the-benefits-of-reducing-dietary-sodium/#ixzz1dKCy2Se2
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