Reconsidering Salt
As with dietary fats, more recent and elegant research has turned the world of salts on its crusty head. For decades, we have been advised by the WHO, CDC, physicians, dietitians, and even hustlers that we need to limit salt intake (specifically sodium chloride, NaCl) for heart health. From the WHO, who published this only last year despite evidence to the contrary:
“Recommendations for salt reduction
For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt (just under a teaspoon).
For children aged 2–15 years, WHO recommends adjusting the adult dose downward based on their energy requirements. This recommendation for children does not address the period of exclusive breastfeeding (0–6 months) or complementary feeding with continued breastfeeding (6–24 months).
All salt that is consumed should be iodized (fortified with iodine), which is essential for healthy brain development in the fetus and young child and for optimizing people’s mental function in general."
This is bogus for several reasons. The party line assumes that there is a positive linear relationship between salt intake and cardiovascular (CV) events, including Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and CV-related hospitalizations. It is NOT linear, but rather a J-curve, meaning that too little salt intake also increases CV events. Another assumption is that everyone’s NaCl needs are the same, as if babies, athletes, and the elderly all sweat at the same rate. They don’t.
Robb Wolf of LMNT is my go-to resource for all things electrolytes. He provided me with the link to this article. In another post of his, he even gives us a recipe for DIY electrolyte replacement formulas. His link is in Comments.
As with all things medical, consult with your provider before changing anything that could will affect your health. Even show them the article first:
Conclusion
“(A) sodium excretion of less than 3 g per day was associated with increased risk of Cardiovascular mortality and hospitalization for Congestive Heart Failure.”
LMNT and Robb Wolf link: https://bit.ly/3Y7Eqyb