According to my current primary care physician, I need to avoid salt completely due to high blood pressure. I suppose the doc is speaking from "conventional wisdom" and that less added salt is better for a person. However, I monitor my blood pressure closely and have been unable to correlate my own salt intake with rises and drops in blood pressure.

Just a personal observation from a testy old layman.

Dr. Electro

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What a waste... there is no scientific link that shows salt intake causes high blood pressure. Look for results from the intersalt study for the largest example of just such a study. Too bad they are wasting time on a fiasco like this instead of address actual problems.

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I wish the "experts" would get more precise. It's not so much the salt that's the problem, it's the sodium. You can drastically reduce your deliberate sodium intake by using Low Salt, which is largely Potassium Chloride. However, as Nicole rightly states, there is a large amount of salt in the food we eat without needing to add any.

Almost every processed food contains too much salt for our own good. And sorry Brian, but there is plenty of evidence that overconsumption of sodium chloride can increase blodd pressure.

Pete

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I an over 40 years of age and I have been eating large quantiies of salt since early childhood and it has not affected my health in a negative way. I have LOW blood pressure and I do not retain any water, not even at that time of the month. My heart is very healthy and I dip my food in salt, even fruit.

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Watch the amount of potassium chloride too—it can cause an irregular heart beat. KCl will not give the same salt taste as NaCl and the natural inclination is to add more so that things taste the way we are used to.

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Salt is a necessary nutrient for our diets, only in the minimal amount of 1200mg. I'm 44 now & when I was 23, I was taught by a dietitian the correct amount of salt needed in a diet. I have been continuely surprised by companies that offer lower sodium products more & more. I should also mention I have never had to worry about high blood pressure (which does run in my family) & I feel it is due to the low sodium diet I chose to adopt. Maybe the wording on the label should include something to the affect of genetic ties to high blood pressure & the links to sodium...

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I understand about salty foods and labeling them.
But the AMA should also stress the importance of
too much sugar in the food. Every food you buy
at the store has too much sweetner in them. Example
soda pop, has 25grams of corn syrup or other artificial sweetner in one can. Some have more.
I would suggest that put real sugar in the food.
a small amount example 10grams minimum in a 12
ounce can of soda and also 5grams of sugar in
baking products. Sugar is the problem as well
as salt.

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I think this is WONDERFUL! If people only KNEW and UNDERSTOOD the health risks of eating foods high in sodium!!!

My niece LOVES salt, and uses WAY too much. When I see her using the salt shaker...I cringe! She loads it on her food!

I applaud the AMA for taking steps to make people aware of the danger.

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I and many folks in my family have had high blood pressure but I've found that drinking acai juice has greatly lowered it. Check it out.

http://www.mymonavie.com/berryman

Acai is high in ORAC levels and has very many antioxidants.

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I think that labeling specific products as high sodium or low sodium is extremely helpful. On more than one occasion I have purchased items mistakenly and upon consumption found the item to have an unhealthful amount of salt. Something as "healthy" as a soy burger can vary in sodium content between one flavor and another, or even among different brands. Labeling items as "High" or "Low" sodium will be helpful, but it should be extended to foods served in restaraunts as well. In addition, food information should be labeled in bold type. Not only am I getting older, but so too are my eyes, and they just plain don't want to read the teeny tinny print.

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I'M NOW 35 AND HAVE BEEN SUFFERING FROM HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SINCE 1987. THERE IS NOBODY ELSE IN MY FAMILY WITH THIS PROBLEM. I'M SUPER SENSITIVE TO SALT OR SODIUM. WITH THE LEAST BIT OF IT MY BLOOD PRESSURE WILL GO PAST 237/190 IN A HEARTBEAT. I THINK THAT THE FDA NEEDS SOME GUIDELINES ON THE AMOUNT OF SALT/SODIUM IN PROCESSED FOODS. LATELY THE PROCESSED FOODS HAVE SO MUCH SODIUM IN THEM THAT I HAVE TO PROCESS MY OWN FOODS WITH OUT SALT/SODIUM. LOOK AT A SMALL CAN OF MUSHROOMS, THERE ARE OVER 400MG OF SODIUM, AND LOOK IN FRESH MUSHROOMS 160MG FOR A PINT. JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU FRESH IS BETTER AND LESS EXPENSIVE. THAT'S WHY I GROW FRESH VEGETABLES TO SELL AT OUR RETAIL STORE.

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when are we going to quit trying to protect people from themselves?

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Too much salt in the diet will aggravate symptoms of meniere's syndrome, an inner ear condition which causes pressure in the ears, vertigo, tinitis, and gradual hearing loss.

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Most low fat foods or processed foods are loaded with salt. Heck no flavor lets add salt the manufacturer says!

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There are too many "groups" who feel that they have the right to tell me and you what to eat now. If I think Kentucky Fried Chicken is bad for me, I'll not go there. If I believe Big Macs will make me fat, I'll avoid them. If my doctor and I agree that I should monitor my salt intake I will make that choice. I don't need some nameless, faceless "group" dictating a menu to me. If there are those out there who are too stupid to monitor their own health, don't try to make me give up the things I like because I take these things in moderation and I like them and I am able to manage my own health with the help of my physician.

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I learned about the problems with salt when I was pregnant. By the seventh month my legs would swell, etc. even though I wasn't a heavy salt eater. We never
have salt at the table and I use very little in cooking, and after not using it much, you'll find that things taste much better without that salty taste. People we know who are heavy salt users are the ones who get high blood pressure and heart conditions. Incidentally Aspertame is a killer too.

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I have a question, what about the iodine in salt? isn't it necessary for healthy thyroid function, among other things, not sure, but would appreciate all feedback, thanks alot.

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I agree that it is wise to limit salt intake. I would love to see salt levels in food decreased. Another thing I've discovere that seems to affect my blood pressure is calcium. If I get plenty of calcium it helps regulate my bp. I've read a little about it and think there's something to it.

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salt and sugar.....lets talk about a real demon...high fructose corn syrup, and more than likely from genetically altered corn, a cheap fix.....biggest contributor to the weight problem in the U.S.
its virtually in everything we eat and drink.....look in the stores for soda with sugar only, almost impossible to find.....or else contains both.
start saving your OWN seeds.
knight

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