In a recent article in the NYT (and you wonder where we get all of our nifty ideas) I was alerted to the fact that the mayor of NYC (you may know him as Michael Bloomberg) announced that NYC is going to try to pressure the food industry and restaurant chains to cut their use of salt in half over the next decade. While this may seem all in good fun and with health promotion in mind, what the article so astutely points out is that for decades now it has been hypothesized that salt is bad for your health, and yet there has been no definitive answer on this matter.
It even appears that while a reduction in salt intake may be good for some people, like those with high blood pressure, there has been no research indicating that in the general population a reduction in salt actually does anything good, and may in some cases actually be harmful(like in the cited study where heart patients that were randomized to a low sodium diet were more likely to be rehospitalized and die). As Michael Alderman, an expert in hypertension at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, put it, “We have no way of knowing the health effects of eating less salt, yet we’re supposed to forge ahead with this new policy that affects the whole population.”
So really dear, fantastic blog readers, when will all of this sensational idiocy end? Do we really need to outlaw transfats and make policies about the amount of salt in our food? Or should we consider, just for a second, promoting eating in moderation?
NYT Article
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2 comments:
simply educating people WILL NOT WORK, we've been trying that for decades and look where we've gotten. however, any policy change needs to be evidence-based, and cannot be based on assumptions and biased interpretation.
an analysis of 2005-2006 NHANES data shows that 90% of people consume more than 2400 mg of sodium per day and 42% consume more than 4000 mg per day. from this data i infer that any modest decrease in sodium content in the food system will not have a detrimental effect on individuals health (but i could be wrong).
I think the problem with sodium intake is that many, many people don't realize their consuming too much. You can't necessarily see it, you don't know you're ordering it, and our taste buds are so used to it that food tastes "bad" without it. I agree that it seems like a somewhat petty thing to focus on (hello, portion size), but I doubt it will be harmful. Like SCS said, cutting out some salt won't necessarily equate to a "low sodium" diet.
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