Is Salt Really The Enemy?

It is no secret that the government has vilified salt with warnings that better health will come by reducing salt from the diet, and we will be able to prevent cardiovascular disease and strokes. However the research evidence is not convincing that salt intake is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease or death. Let’s examine closer the main factors that determine how much salt you should use, and just as important – what type of salt.

- Natural vs Refined

The commonly used salt is a very refined product that has morphed into something that is so far removed from its original form that it has become toxic. It’s typically just sodium chloride or NaCl with just one or two other mineral elements. It may have anti-caking agents added such as sodium silicoaluminate. A good sea salt however may have over 84 mineral elements, meaning those salts provide a potent mix of valuable nutrients.

- Insufficient and Unconvincing Evidence

Health recommendations for salt intake are based on the theory that a low salt intake will result in lower blood pressure, and that lower blood pressure will decrease cardiovascular disease and related disease risk, meaning low salt intake should decrease cardiovascular and related disease risk. But that’s not necessarily true. Research shows that reducing salt intake will lead to a lower blood pressure. It’s suggested that this reduction in blood pressure could reduce risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart failure – and that’s where the problem arises.

The theory that reducing salt intake in order to lower blood pressure and thereby prevent cardiovascular disease is called the “salt hypothesis.” The problem with the “salt hypothesis” is that blood pressure is only a “surrogate outcome.” A surrogate outcome is one that is not of direct practical importance to a health issue, but rather it is one that produces one health outcome that may or may not be associated with a real outcome. The problem is that there are many other complicating factors and in some cases the relationship between the surrogate outcome and the health outcome is weak. New research provides convincing support that salt intake is not linked to mortality in general, or linked to death from cardiovascular disease or heart failure.

- Individualised Salt Intake Is Key

Restricting salt could be good to combat acne, but it would be disastrous for someone trying to recover from adrenal fatigue. In certain genotypes, salt can aggravate osteoporosis. Salt has been shown to increase calcium excretion in the urine, producing an imbalance in the body and putting certain individuals at greater risk for bone loss. In fact, there is even a gene that is linked to greater risk of hypertension and osteoporosis that is exacerbated by increased salt intake.

Plus, people with high blood pressure can lower their blood pressure by reducing salt, which can have a variety of benefits. Overweight individuals with high blood pressure who are at risk of diabetes may benefit from less salt intake, but if they also have adrenal fatigue, that may not be the solution. Clearly, everything needs to be individualized for the greatest health benefits. Making blanket statements that everyone needs to lower salt intake is ridiculous!

The more cooked food you eat, the more salt you need to activate certain intestinal enzymes. Also athletes and strength trainees will likely also need more salt, partly because they have higher protein needs and partly because training depletes the muscles of certain nutrients. Plus, electrolytes (potassium, magnesium, sodium) may be lost in the sweat, requiring greater salt or nutrient intake.

An interesting fact is that salt should be colored, not that bland white stuff. Salt should be pink, red, beige, or grey. When salt has a color, it indicates that it contains trace minerals and has not been highly processed. Good salt is readily available at any health food store at a reasonable price e.g. Celtic Sea Salt which is about 82 percent sodium chloride, and 14 percent other minerals, of which magnesium is a large portion. Another benefit of colored salts is that the iodine naturally contained in colored salts is retained in human tissue for a long time, making it more beneficial. In comparison, the refined iodine that is added to salt is not as physiologically useful.