X-Message-Number: 9541 Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 20:57:22 -0700 (PDT) From: Doug Skrecky <> Subject: interesting bit on salt & calories from longevity digest Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 09:23:50 -0700 From: Longevity-Digest/Brian Rowley <> Subject: CNN - Study finds low salt diets unhealthy - March 13, 1998 ****from *** Okay, here's a fly in the low-salt ointment.... (Do visit their web site, this is publicity, not a copyright violation.) Richard Kaufman Subject: CNN - Study finds low salt diets unhealthy - March 13, 1998 http://cnn.com/HEALTH/9803/13/salt.reut/index.html > [CNN logo] [Health banner] [CNNenEspanol.com] > [Navigation] > COMMUNITY [rule] > Message > Boards Study finds low salt diets unhealthy > Chat > Feedback March 13, 1998 [salt shaker] > Web posted at: 3:58 a.m. EST (0858 > SITE GMT) > SOURCES > Contents LONDON (Reuters) -- Low salt diets could be > Help! hazardous to your health, U.S. doctors warned on > Search > Friday. > CNN > Networks Contrary to the common belief that eating too much > salt can lead to heart attacks and strokes, > SPECIALS lowering your sodium intake may actually be > Quick harmful, doctors at the Albert Einstein College of > News Medicine in New York said. > Almanac > Video "Cancel current recommendations to reduce salt > Vault intake, and wait for more data," epidemiology and > News Quiz social medicine professor Michael Alderman said in > a statement. > > [Infoseek/Big YelloStudy finds mortality inversely related to salt > intake > > [Pathfinder/Warner In a study published in the Lancet medical > journal, Alderman and his team analysed the diets > of 11,000 people who took part in the first > [Barnes and Noble] National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey > that started in 1971 in the United States. > > "Our survey provides no support for > [Parent Time link] recommendations to lower sodium as a goal of > dietary policy," Alderman said. > > [BHN logo] "Those recommendations are based on data > indicating that less salt means lower blood > pressure, which is true for some but not all > people. Moreover, there are lots of ways to lower > blood pressure, and not all are good for you; > indeed, our study suggests that lowering sodium > may actually be harmful." > > Ironically, Alderman and his team found that > mortality was inversely related to salt intake. > The more salt people reported eating, the less > likely they were to die from cardiovascular or > other diseases. > > Study casts doubts on earlier studies > > When the team looked at salt intake in relation to > total calories the results were even more > interesting. At each level of salt intake people > who consumed fewer calories were more likely to > die than those who consumed more calories. > > Heart disease is the leading cause of death in > most developed countries and high blood pressure > is a major risk factor. Specialists, convinced > that high salt intake increased blood pressure, > had advised people to cut down on it. > > An earlier study, also published in the Lancet, > linked a high salt diet to osteoporosis, stomach > cancer, asthma and fluid retention. > > But Alderman is not alone in his beliefs. > > Canadian hypertension expert Alexander Logan > reached similar conclusions in research published > in The Journal of the American Medical Association > nearly two years ago. He concluded that the > harmful effects of restricting salt intake were > not fully appreciated, and doctors should not > assume a low-salt diet was harmless. > > Alderman said the relationship between salt intake > and other dietary components may be so complex > that across-the-board guidelines may never be > possible. > > Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited. All rights > reserved. -Richard Kaufmans ------------------------------ End of LONGEVITY-DIGEST Digest - 22 Apr 1998 to 23 Apr 1998 *********************************************************** Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=9541