Will limiting your salt intake, as the federal government recommends doing, actually lower your risk of stroke, heart attack, or other cardiovascular diseases? A new Reuters Special Report takes a close look at the science behind this contentious question. Citing studies that argue both for and against a restricted sodium diet, reporter Kate Kelland interviews scientists from both sides of the polarizing salt debate, finally concluding that there is not enough evidence to recommend that all people rigidly restrict their sodium consumption. As Dr. Michael Alderman of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a blood pressure expert and well-known critic of generalizing advice about sodium restriction, states, If we re doing something so dramatic to the diets of whole populations, there should be no argument. The evidence should be overwhelming, but it s not overwhelming at all.
Click here to read this comprehensive discussion of the risks and benefits of adhering to a low-sodium diet.