Salt Intake in Moderate Quantity Good for Heart Health: Study

Salt is a key ingredient of our food. Keeping into consideration, the health threats that it poses, it won’t be wrong calling it a necessary evil and a hidden menace. Almost all of us often posses this question before a doctor, dietician or even yourself that how much salt intake is good for health. We are also of the impression that reducing salt intake is good for health.

A new study has proposed that on an average most of the people are consuming the right amount of salt and it just correct for their cardiovascular health.

The researchers further said consumption of less than three grams of salt every day could also result in unwanted health consequences.

The study was conducted by the researchers at the Population Health Research Institute of the McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. It was led by researcher Salim Yusuf.

For the study, the researchers involved 101,945 individuals from 17 countries and tracked them for over three years.

Following the analysis, they found that participants who consumed lower than 3 grams of sodium every day were 27 percent at high risk of developing potentially fatal events like heart attack and stroke or even increased death risk.

But those whose salt intake was between 3 to 6 grams had no health issue.

The researchers, however, clarified that even if the findings suggest intake of less than 3 grams of salt per day is linked with unwanted health conditions, but the findings should not be misinterpreted that it allows uncontrolled intake of salt.

Too much salt intake has also unwanted implications, the researchers said.

During the study, they also found that death risks and adverse events also rose in individuals who consume more than 6 grams of salt per day.

The researchers wrote, “An estimated sodium intake between 3 g per day and 6 g per day was associated with a lower risk of death and cardiovascular events than was either a higher or lower estimated level of intake.”

The average sodium consumption across the world was 3.95 grams per day in 2010. However, the consumption varied in different regions.

In the US, the daily salt intake is 3.6 grams per day on an average. However, the U.S. Health Department recommends salt intake not more than 2.3 grams per day.

Findings of the study were published on Thursday in The New England Journal Medicine (NEJM).