Posted on 08/27/2014 10:02:02 AM PDT by jmaroneps37
Around six months ago, I posted a column sketching a historical background on the irrational fear of dietary sodium, and the less than great science behind such fears. Current guidelines are 1500 to 2300 milligrams per day, or lower.
As was pointed out in the earlier piece, the much recommended super-healthy Mediterranean diet averages 4200 mg of sodium per day. Also mentioned was that a standard hospital saline IV drip logs in at more than 10,000 milligrams per day, and whatever the patient might eat on his own will take it up from there. We revisit the issue, in the wake of three research articles published recently in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.
Two of the articles are part of the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) Study. In the first of these, entitled “Association of Urinary Sodium and Potassium Excretion with Blood Pressure,” more than 100,000 adults in 18 countries were examined, covering a cross-section of incomes and lifestyles.
A key finding is that only a tiny percentage of participants consumed less than 2300 mg of sodium per day, and that in these individuals, sodium intake is not related to blood pressure–which immediately casts a shadow on the official guidelines.
In the second PURE research article, entitled “Urinary Sodium and Potassium Excretion, Mortality, and Cardiovascular Events,” 101,945 persons in 17 countries were studied. It was concluded that sodium intake between 3000 and 6000 mg per day was associated with a lower risk of death and cardiovascular events than dietary amounts outside of these limits.
Note again that this is far above recommended guidelines. The third research article (Mozaffarian et al.), much championed by low salt devotees, is entitled “Global Sodium Consumption and Death from Cardiovascular Causes.” http://www.coachisright.com/stop-assault-salt/
(Excerpt) Read more at coachisright.com ...
Long term excessive salt will cause cirrhosis of the liver. Look it up.
Like everything else...
Is there a definition for “long-term” and/or “excessive” in this case? Someone who sprinkles some salt on a steak once a week? Or someone who cracks sea salt on everything everyday every time they eat?
I did, and did not notice any mention of salt CAUSING cirrhosis.
You are correct. I should have said aggravates cirrhosis.
Anecdotal stories prove nothing and can be found as “evidence” for almost anything.
That being stated, mine is that I am almost 70, have been a salt-a-holic all my life, and my avg. BP is 117/75, and liver is tested regularly with no evidence of any issues ever there.......
Sure, excessive salt surely has a negative effect on some.
Everyone? I doubt it..........
When consumed from the rims of Margarita glasses.
I was diagnosed with Cirrhosis last year. (damn near died)
I never even drank A LOT (compared to other people), but I reckon I might have been susceptible to it... I DON’T KNOW - and they didn’t either, but since I drank a beer or two now and then, that MUST have “caused it”....
Anyway, they lectured the hell out of me about salt/sodium. I swear, I’d rather go to a dentist or Proctologist than a dammed Dietician! They got to working on getting me on the transplant list, and did a procedure known as a ‘TIPS’ to prolong my life.(they gave me a year to live 16 months ago)
After the procedure, I gradually got ‘better’ for unexplained reasons, and now my lab values and Liver function are completely NORMAL(my specialist is one of the best in the country and he said it was literally a miracle), and I still enjoy as much salt as I ever had. Might even enjoy a drink on rare occasions. I guess God wanted to keep me here so he could continue to torture me for awhile longer. lol
You have been blessed with a gift.
PS: The thing is, excessive sodium caused your body to retain fluid. Your body becomes a ‘sponge’ basically.
People with Cirrhosis tend to build up fluid, which is knows as Ascites. I had end stage Cirrhosis, and my Ascites was HORRIBLE. They could routinely drain 7 liters of fluid from my abdomen, and that would make me just barely comfortable. I’d always been an average sized person, and I quickly learned what it must feel like for a woman to be 8 months pregnant.
They told me that sodium would worsen the Ascites, and to avoid Salt. (I never did) The way I saw it, If I’m gonna die anyway, I’ll be dammed if I’m gonna spend my remaining days eating like a rabbit!
I try to not lose sight of that fact when I have a bad day! LOL
Last year, I realized the reason why we live isn't for 'US', because after we're dead, we aren't gonna care, no matter where we end up. It's those we'd leave behind that will truly be affected, and THAT'S why we live. I don't want my wife to lose her husband, and don't want my children to lose their father. That's a responsibility I'm always mindful of. My life really isn't about 'me'.
Medical Science announced that saliva causes Stomach Cancer. However only when swallowed in small amounts over a long period of time.... George Carlin...
1) Very few people ever track their salt intake.
2) Processed foods are loaded with salt for no other reason than to make them palatable.
3) The danger of excess dietary salt increases with poor health and increased age.
If you are young and in reasonably good health, you can probably go about your life and not worry about salt. If you are 50+ and/or have health problems and eat too many processed foods, you are going to regret not paying better attention to your salt intake.
High doses of daily salt intake lead to liver damage, puffiness of the face and eyes, as well water retention.
It can, combined with other bad dietary habits also result in hypertension.
The proof is when people reduce their salt intact and eat more veggies, those problems are alleviated.
I don’t care for salt ir at keast added salt.
My chicken comes soaked in a 15% brine from the regular grocery store. So I try to buy chicken that doesn’t come with salt added.
Also, don’t like Sex on the Beach or my Margarita with salt on the rim.
Never understood salt on watermelon and as a child at it the way God packaged it. Yummm!!!
Remember also that sodium comes in a lot of chemical combinations, which likely have very different effects in the body. A favorite example of this is common Chex Mix.
It contains “salt”, sodium chloride; “baking soda”, sodium bicarbonate; but also trisodium phosphate; disodium inosinate; and disodium guanylate. Other ingredients have some sodium in them as well.
1/2 cup has 2,400mg of sodium. A bag has 8 servings, or about 4 cups. So if you eat a whole bag, just 8.75 ounces, a little more than half a pound, you get 19,200mg of sodium.
That’s a tad much.
I have noticed a consistent increase in my blood pressure after eating high sodium canned processed foods like Chili and Ravioli. That is like 2000 mg of sodium for a can.
It typically goes up and stays up the day after eating it.
I’d also read that sea salt is actually better for you than common everyday table salt.
Your thoughts please, jmaroneps37.
Thanks for the links.
But why can’t people write coherently? From the first link:
Upon being diagnosed with cirrhosis, physicians typically advise their patients to completely avoid, or significantly restrict, sodium intake.
***
So when a physician is diagnosed with cirrhosis, he gives such advice to his patients? How will that help the sick doc?
I noticed increasing or decreasing my salt intake did not affect my BP one wit.
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