[ClearCase_guy]

Sodium, which most people consume in the form of salt, increases the risk of hypertension and heart disease.

I believe that is controversial. If I remember correctly, the evidence linking sodium to hypertension is surprisingly thin.

Like "eight glasses of water a day", people repeat this stuff and "everyone" accepts it as True, and some of this stuff virtually comes out of nowhere with no basis at all.

[BobL]

“If I remember correctly, the evidence linking sodium to hypertension is surprisingly thin.”

The link to hypertension is credible, but when they studied all-cause deaths, they found that people lived longer if they consumed sodium at least 50% ABOVE the official recommendation (specifically, 50% to 100% above).

So it seems that salt does more than just affect blood pressure (who would have thought!). The bottom line is that you’ll make your doctors happy if you eat less salt (and thereby have lower blood pressure), but you won’t live as long.