Salt in soluble paracetamol linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death (Fizzy and fast acting acetaminophen tablets have a lot of sodium)

Medical Xpress / ^

[ConservativeMind]

Doctors have warned that people should try to avoid taking dissolving, fizzy paracetamol that contains salt, following findings from a large study that shows a link with a significantly increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, heart failure and death.

Sodium, one of the main components of salt, is often used to help drugs such as paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen) dissolve and disintegrate in water. However, effervescent and soluble formulations of 0.5 g tablets of paracetamol can contain 0.44 and 0.39 g of sodium respectively. If a person took the maximum daily dose of two 0.5 g tablets every six hours, they would consume 3.5 and 3.1 g of sodium respectively—a dose that exceeds the total daily intake of 2 g a day recommended by the World Health Organization. Other formulations exist that contain an extremely small amount of sodium or none at all.

The researchers found the risk of heart attack, stroke or heart failure after one year for patients with high blood pressure taking sodium-containing paracetamol was 5.6%, while it was 4.6% among those taking non-sodium-containing paracetamol. The risk of death was also higher; the one-year risk was 7.6% and 6.1%, respectively.

There was a similar increased risk among patients without high blood pressure. Among those taking sodium-containing paracetamol, the one-year CVD risk was 4.4% and 3.7% among those taking non-sodium-containing paracetamol. The risk of dying was 7.3% and 5.9%, respectively.

Prof. Zeng said: "We also found that the risk of cardiovascular disease and death increased as the duration of sodium-containing paracetamol intake increased. We saw similar increases in people without high blood pressure. The risk of death also increased with increasing doses of sodium-containing paracetamol in both patients with and without high blood pressure."

[ConservativeMind]

For those truly “salt sensitive” (less than 15% of the population), this could be very important to keep in mind.

[ConservativeMind]

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[nickcarraway]

Don’t they only call it paracetamol in the U.K.?

[Dogbert41]

Are we talking Alka Seltzer?

[ConservativeMind]

There is a form of that like this, but specifically, it would be a strict fast acting pain killer, only.

[Delta 21]

Modern medicine will kill you!

[urbanpovertylawcenter]

Perhaps the chest pain associated with a heart attack or the headache with stroke precipitated taking the fizzy pain medication and the sodium is a victim of circumstance. Show me the double blind studies, ha got you!

And has Piglosi shorted the stock?

[Diapason]

And in South Africa.

[Diapason]

Acetominophen.

[Diapason]

Salt is only an issue for those on high starchy carb diets. When I went low carb my GP warned me to be sure I had enough salt even with hypertension.