Advising People to Eat Less Salt Is Not Best Approach to Reduce CVD

And for how long have we been told to eat less salt to reduce heart disease?

A new Cochrane review has concluded there is no clear evidence of benefit--in terms of preventing CV events and deaths--from advising people to reduce dietary salt intake. However, the lead author, Dr Rod S Taylor (University of Exeter, UK), is stressing that he does not advocate changing the recommendation that people eat less salt; rather, it is the way this is achieved that seems to be important.

"One of the things we observed was that it's one thing to tell people to reduce their salt intake and it's quite another for them to maintain that, and that is an important public-health message," he told heartwire . "We did not identify a strong signal. Our findings are somewhat neutral on the effect of dietary salt [reduction] on mortality and the future development of CVD."

Instead, says Taylor, efforts should be focused on other means to help people reduce their salt intake, noting that "75% of the salt we consume is hidden, so we need to be involving the food industry." This is likely a more practical and inexpensive means of reducing salt intake in the general population rather than focusing on dietary advice for individuals, he and his colleagues conclude in their paper published July 6, 2011 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The research also appears in the American Journal of Hypertension.

Still think they have any idea what they are talking about?